A new release from Shoemaker Levee comes through with a very lush and somewhat honest soundscape in the form of what I feel like is a blend of grunge, alternative rock, and even hints of pop rock in there as well but the whole thing has a certain edginess in sonic drive that really pushes it to where it needs to be and also comes with a robust sort of character especially if you listen closely to the lyrics.
"Planning Our Escape" has some great lyrics during the verses and it gives you hints of certain kinds of inner thoughts. I'm not giving everything away of course but it does get a little personal, and during those verses, you have clean guitars and that classic sort of old rock or even 90s radio rock feel and then during the course is, you get this explosion of massive heavy rock tonality and that's where the Sonic drive comes in.
When those sections kick in it's just gigantic and the way the vocals are done during those parts is really brilliant because they have a bit of soul to them but, they still have a little bit of a pop overcoat so they're catchy as well and they just add this great layer of texture and melody to the whole thing.
One of the things I loved about this track is that it shows or feels more like a live performance in terms of energy. This is because it seems almost like it was recorded live on the floor, and everyone involved was just feeding off each other's energies the entire time giving the song a sort of alive and breathing feeling.
This makes everything all the more intense and believe me, the song has some great intensity to it, especially during those explosive parts.
This is cool because it does incorporate that '90s old rock with classic rock, and that grunge element too so it feels warm and welcoming to me in a way.
Some of the progressions give me that feeling as well, but it's because of the aesthetic that these guys happen to nail, which is the kind of rock music I grew up listening to.
The guitar work is excellent throughout the track, and you can tell everything was really well thought out, and the song was put together with a lot of attention to detail, but it never loses the heart or purpose that it was meant for in the first place.
This is where all that character and personality comes in. The song has so many relatable lines in it that the whole thing makes sense.
This is one of those songs that feel like it could have served as part of the soundtrack to a certain chapter in your own life and I find that very connective because it doesn't happen often so when I hear it now is just refreshing to me.
You can also tell that this is coming from a band with a real love for the craft and writing songs with messages behind them and a little purpose as I mentioned earlier.
I love heavy rock music like this as it has a massive melody to it and so much heart that also shows honesty and this electric energy that just pulls you right in and puts you in the moment.
Sometimes you get hints of that sort of Southern rock feel especially in the guitar parts and it all comes together seamlessly.
This was quite anthemic and sort of an authentic rock single that really speaks volumes for the band on many different levels.
Listening to this track makes you want to go see them live simply because this kind of energy captured on record makes you feel like if you saw them live it would be amazing.
These guys tour and play out a lot so maybe you'll be able to catch them.
Apparently, they hit a lot of downtown Toronto venues that are very popular and have even one second place in the Gussapolooza music festival in 2022.
So, obviously they've already been waking waves for quite some time.
I would suggest checking this truck out as soon as you can and turning it nice and loud because it just feels good that way.
Remember where you heard it first.
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