A fresh single release from The 5 Highs takes a very unique and refreshing approach to genre-bending as the track has a mix of what I would call post-punk, dream pop, and more, all rolled into this one track that delivers a vast undertone and cinematic backbone along with some emotional push.
"All The Time" comes through with an array and mixture of digital and natural instrumentation from outstandingly chosen key and synth tones to electric guitars and vocals. All of this comes together and creates this expansive and engulfing atmosphere that you end up falling right into as the song wraps itself around you with its soundscape.
You can hear elements of classic almost 80s pop influence and inspiration lurking beneath the surface of the track giving hints in some of the keys, beats, and synths used along with the arrangement being big and expanding into almost 6 and 1/2 minutes in length.
This track has a strange way of feeling alive and breathing in a sense. It swells and sways with levels of intensities that rise and fall so you have this unique composition to it that boasts some beautiful layers and textures that sit atop each other and let you float right alongside everything you're listening to.
I definitely adore that classic and vintage sound influenced in this track and it gave me bouts of nostalgia at certain points of the song but, the entire song doesn't sound just like that. There are a lot of different elements and layers to this track that make it what it is and one of the most enjoyable for me are those synth pads that float through the ether of the track giving it that expansive and spacious approach.
This is also one of the elements that make it so cinematic to me. It's got depth to it.
It's been a long time since I've heard a track that blends these kinds of approaches, songwriting styles, and genres so naturally. The song has this forward-moving flow that takes you with it and lets the song sort of swim around in the air surrounding you.
The vocal approach is excellent because it adds a different texture to the already lush soundscape of this track and they're done with a sort of subtlety so that they're not overpowering but instead, add more to that depth of the track and build on some of the emotional value that it already boasts.
This is the kind of track you listen to with headphones on so you can soak it in the way it was meant to be. Again, this is a track with layers and when you listen to it with headphones on you're able to really pick up on all of those.
The single has a very dreamy underbelly and surprises around some of the corners including almost orchestral, string-based keys that change the texture of the song at times.
Listening to this track, I feel like it's the kind of thing I would hear in the end credits of a movie from the early 90s or late '80s.
Again, you can hear that post-punk inspiration or influences in there and the mix of the song is really well done.
I don't always talk about the mix of songs but when it comes to a track like this it's imperative because you have that blend of natural tones with electric guitars and vocals but you also have those digital tones with keys, since, beats, and more.
Mixing something like this is not an easy Endeavor but if it's done right it gives the song this particular aesthetic. Whoever mixed this track did an amazing job of keeping to that feeling a little bit driving but not overpowering, and it grabs hold of you and takes you for this cinematic journey.
What's interesting is that I went ahead and listened to some of their other releases and it was very surprising. They have another recently released song called "Half The Man" which was an outstanding track but had a bit more of a jam vibe to it while still keeping to a few of those staples the last track held as well.
There's a full-length record from 2022 called Cut. which is a record that feels more like psychedelic rock and folk blended together.
There's a lot to soak in here so I would suggest checking this single out first and then going back through their catalog to check out some of the other releases.
You will most certainly have a good time doing this so get to it and remember where you heard it first.
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