bail bonds - “I KNOW THAT I NEED YOU”
Brooklyn-based bail bonds returns with the neo-psychedelic-tinged “I KNOW THAT I NEED YOU.”
This song is constructed around the weaving tones of fingerpicked acoustic guitar and a bouncing kick drum that creates a slow but hypnotic groove. However, this description doesn’t effectively capture the atmospherics of this song. Whether it is sounds pushed heavily into reverb, distortion, risers, unusual panning movements, or tape-stop effects, the production on this track is wonderfully slick. The attention to detail is impressive, immersing you in an ever-changing, acid-soaked soundscape of lush textures.
During the chorus sections, a moody, almost mechanised atmosphere takes hold, offering a pleasing contrast. Warped synth layers rise and flow in a melodically chaotic fashion. This strikingly enhances the lyrical meaning in the lyrics. bail bonds’ vocal is wonderfully expressive and breathy, shifting from a gentle conversational tone to soaring falsetto. Vocal effects are used throughout, enhancing the melancholy and reflection, but also evoking a palpable sense of rawness. This effect is particularly pronounced over the chorus sections, where the performance becomes heavily distorted.
On the subject matter, bail bonds expands: “This song is about the moment of realisation when it sinks in that you’ve lost the person you needed the most and it’s all your fault. Living with that pain, owning it and walking forward in it until it hopefully hurts a little less. That sounds really heavy but the song and production are tinged with a sense of optimism that evokes striving, persevering and maybe even finding happy endings in unexpected places.”