There are some singers, though far and few in between, that can serenade the crowd with just about anything that comes to mind and make every word sound like an emotional confession straight from the depths of the soul, and while Trouble in the Streets have this caliber of talent fronting their stylish band, their lyrical content is anything but weak. In the new single/video combo “Chasing Whatever,” the experimental rock three-piece fire off one of the most poetic and pristinely-produced tracks of their career together thus far, and though I’ve come to expect a lot out of this band lately, I think this song dramatically raises the bar for their output moving forward.
The synthesized element in this single is simply cutting right from the get-go, and it never translates as being even remotely plasticized or inorganic. It’s as though Trouble in the Streets took a club groove and reworked it into a melodic take on pre-Bush Administration Rage Against the Machine; there’s enough of a rhythm here to get us shaking, but the central linchpin holding everything together beneath every wave of texture is the lyrical lashings that our singer unleashes with ease. One can only assume that some serious time must have gone into structuring this song to be as fine a piece as it is.
Surprisingly enough, as surreal an artifact as “Chasing Whatever” is musically, its video is even more of a postmodern treat. The source material already lends a great deal of eclecticism over to any sort of music video that the band would have made for this single, but Jonny Underwood’s spot-on directing here truly makes it an unforgettable watch. The chemistry between both parties is clearly fantastic, and with any luck this won’t be the only time that they have the chance to work together.
I would be very interested in hearing how this group’s sonic depth would be reflected on stage. They bring a lot of heat in “Chasing Whatever,” and despite the advantages that a decadent production style provided this single, I have a feeling that it wouldn’t be any less of a juggernaut in a live setting. Trouble in the Streets have a certain charisma about them that definitely makes me curious to catch an unfiltered performance for myself sometime, and if it amplifies what they’re emitting in the studio in this track even somewhat, their next tour could prove to be a must-see for indie enthusiasts.
It didn’t take much more than a cursory listen of “Chasing Whatever” for me to understand why so many people have been going crazy for this band in recent months, and if it’s only a taste of what they’ve got planned for their forthcoming releases, they’re going to be in for a very long and successful career ahead of them. We’re living in one of the most intriguing eras in pop’s long and storied journey from black and white beats to full-color fretwork accented with every strain of exotic bass play, and as long as groups like Trouble in the Streets keep making content of this high quality, we can count on western music staying pretty interesting as the 2020s roll into view.
Find more Trouble in The Street HERE.
