‘Self Destruct’ By The Trusted: From Lost Soul(s) To Potential Heir Apparent
Those familiar with The Indie Grid, may remember an interview we did in January to promote the launch of the, quite frankly, brilliant ‘Lost Soul’ EP by The Trusted. If you don’t, shame on you, as it was a brilliant insight into this band of 4 mates from secondary school. 6 years on from their first tentative steps together they’re ready. Ready to realise their stratospheric potential.
Yes, 2024 could well be the year that The Trusted finally get the recognition they deserve. Southend-on-Sea’s finest have been on the cusp, teetering for a while, but people are beginning to take notice; Radio One airplay and BBC Introducing’s ‘artists to watch’, are not guarantees of success, but they’re a foot on the ladder in a business that’s notoriously fickle. I just hope it’s kind to these boys, that they’re not dismissed or lost in the mire of bang-average indie pop-rock. They deserve better. They deserve an audience. So, sit down, plug-in and listen, because these boys could very well be the best band you’ve never heard of.
‘Self Destruct’, is a breath-taking slice of indie rock / pop; effortlessly catchy, well put together and mercifully fully-formed and unafraid to shed a binary structure. After an intro evoking memories of The Hives, ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’, when we anticipate the distortion pedals to be dutifully engaged, we’re thrust headlong into the verse. This is highlighted by a modulating bassline that Alex James would be proud of. Sparse guitar accents and Tom’s slightly distorted vocal complete the picture, all wrapped up with some lovely floor tom and snare flurries. Like I said, it’s fully formed. This is indie rock in all its finery.
The chorus is simple, catchy and elevates the song to anthemic levels. “I wanna self-destruct, I know I like it. My head is spinning, but I don’t want to fight about it”; bass and guitar tightly synchronised, drums metronomic and workman like and Tom Cunningham’s voice preaching the gospel of self-sabotage to his eager congregation. Simple. Effective. Infectious.
The formula for success is uncomplicated, it’s like following a recipe, but if you compromise one of your ingredients it’s doomed to fail. The Trusted aren’t compromising. They’re following the recipe; 4 chords, nice hook, into the verse, a playful single-beat pause to tease and create tension, then the impact of the chorus, back into verse etc. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? When it’s done well you don’t even notice. You’re too tuned in to critique.
However, The Trusted like to throw in their own nuances and after the second chorus we’re into a mid-section that has elements of The Who, Franz Ferdinand and, I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, Metallica (triplet section in ‘One’). It’s the first real chance to draw breath, but it’s only fleeting. The fluidity of the hypnotic verse-chorus loop replaced by the juxtaposition of dynamic opposites; what sounds like saturated trem-picking, shifting triplets and vocals thick with reverb, re-enforcing the hedonistic narrative, “I wanna die in the bath tub baby,” how very Jim Morrison; he is the poster boy of self-sabotage after-all.
The production is gritty, yet sleek. It’s an exercise in taming an untameable force and condensing that energy into 3 perfect minutes. It’s completely devoid of pretence and ego. They may have tweaked the recipe, but the results are beyond brilliant. So, say hello to the new darlings of British indie rock, ladies and gentlemen and all stops in-between, The Trusted; with fair weather and a following wind they will be huge!
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