Flywheel – Stop Looking At Her

In recent years, we’ve seen a resurgence of many known or unknown acts whose music made an impact on particular music scenes in one way or another. The best part about it is how all those artists and bands deliver music that totally differs from anything you could possibly hear on the music scene nowadays. It seems like they’ve been much more creative, unique, and innovative than all those acts who have been continuously present on the scene for decades. Flywheel, an Irish psychedelic dream pop band based in Cork, is one of those brilliant bands that have resurfaced recently. Their recently released standalone single, “Stop Looking At Her,” is a result of five months of intensive songwriting and composing, and it’s safe to say it is one of the finest psych pop songs you’ll hear in a while. Being profoundly inspired by the greats such as Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Gilla Band, The Fall, This Mortal Coil, and many more, Flywheel deliver the sound many late eighties and early nineties Irish and Scottish bands are famous for. It’s a sweet combination of alternative, shoegaze, dream pop, psych pop, noise pop, and indie, wrapped in many thoughtfully crafted and flawlessly performed signature moves that definitely force you to spin this psychedelic dream pop gem all over again.

And the way this composition has been composed is worth praise. “Stop Looking At Her” begins with calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal vocal harmonies, profoundly melodic low-end notes, and well-accentuated rhyhtmic parts, and transforms into a raging beast during the choruses when the guitars scream with those raw, unfiltered, powerful guitar riffs, heavily drenched in generous servings of distortion and reverb effects. The vocals remain as calm, ethereal, and melodic as possible throughout the entire composition, serving as a counterbalance to the heavy, powerful, groovy, complex instrumentation. “Stop Looking At Her” arrives with a perfect structure, decorated with many clever arrangements, profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and outstanding musicianship. It’s a combo that works quite well for that alternative, shoegaze, dream pop sound. And while many contemporary acts tend to overly soak their instrumentation in echo, reverb, and delay effects, creating a rather noisy than melodic ambiance that doesn’t sound pleasant to the ears, Flywheel do quite the opposite. They surely use all those effects, apply generous servings of distortion, yet somehow manage to remain as melodic as possible. You’ll hear how those guitars do not overwhelm the remainder of the orchestration. Everything is composed, arranged, recorded, and produced perfectly.

Of course, you’ll notice how years of experience affect their songwriting and composing. Each sonic ingredient articulates in its own space, giving a unique characteristic and flow to this song. For example, the vocals contribute more than necessary emotional depth, complexity, melody, harmony, and all of that while providing that calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal feel to the overall atmosphere. The vocals definitely elevate everything to new heights, command attention, and make this song even more otherworldly. The guitars deliver a combination of rawness, abrasiveness, and aggression, serving as a counterbalance to the melodic, ethereal, spacious qualities of the song. During the calm verses, it subtly supports the vocal performance, and during the choruses it bursts with that raw, unfiltered aggression this composition certainly needs. The bass guitar definitely brings more melody to the table. All those intricate, warm, deep, heavy basslines offer more heaviness, depth, and clarity while simultaneously acting as a binding element that successfully merges guitars with rhythmic patterns. The exceptional drumming performance is solely responsible for all the dynamics and pace. By delivering all those cleverly assembled, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, it keeps the remainder of the band in line. Every instrument plays a significant role, making “Stop Looking At Her” such a beautiful song worth spinning over and over again.

If you’re looking for a song that successfully blends melody, harmony, rawness, and aggression, look no further, because “Stop Looking At Her” carries all those qualities. It’s a beautiful song where emotion and power collide, creating a unique atmosphere rarely heard or seen on the contemporary music scene. The band poured heart and soul into every single detail, and it is vividly hearable in their performance. Flywheel has made a glorious return with this composition, and honestly, we can’t wait to hear more! Do not miss this gem!