There’s no denying that some of the strangest periods in history have produced the most intriguing and amazing music the pop genre has ever known, and in 2022, there’s been an interesting wave of players coming out of the woodwork amid unconventionality at its most inconvenient and unavoidable. Tim Snider chose this December to drop his new single “By Your Side,” and unlike a lot of his rivals in the American underground, his isn’t a track taking on the social and political ills of a seemingly endless era of divisiveness. Instead of giving us what we’re all expecting to hear out of a young pop songwriter, Snider gets personal from the start and unravels what ultimately feels like the first chapter of a story that is his and his alone.
We’re only getting to know one side of his artistry in “By Your Side,” and yet it’s too stimulating a listen for us to believe that it won’t be the first of many installments in his discography. Some people were made for the studio, and while I’m just now finding out about Tim Snider, he gives me that kind of vibe in this single without question.
If you’re looking for heavy gloss in a pop song, you’re going to have to surf the radio because “By Your Side” is entirely filler-free. Even in a couple of spots that could have potentially benefited from the neon edge of a mainstream sound, it’s clear to me that Snider wanted to keep things relatively stoic and subdued for his new cut with Wolfgang Timber – as is the case with all who tend to be loyal to a classic indie ethos. Overall, this mix didn’t need any of the overproduced frills that some others would mostly because of how well-defined every part of the instrumentation and the vocal are.
I would have liked a little more from the guitar parts and a little less from the bass tone, but it’s an excusable flaw if I’ve ever come across one in this genre before. The main star of this show is the intimate feeling emanating from the lyrics, and though it seems geared towards tugging at our heartstrings, it isn’t so emotional that it starts to sound saccharine towards the climax.
To be honest, I haven’t been much for a lot of the alternative pop singer/songwriter content I’ve heard out of the mainstream in 2022, but in the underground, the likes of Tim Snider are keeping more discriminating listeners occupied through originality and outright spunk. There’s some physicality to the music here that I want him to use more in his next project, and if he’s able to find some success with “By Your Side,” I don’t see why it wouldn’t make sense for him to get us a full-length album in 2023. He has some of the strongest college radio appeal you could ask for in this single, and with a little more grooming, I don’t see anything getting in his path from here on out.
