Michael B Thomas - “Team Leader”
Photo: Colin Barr
The newest peek of Michael B Thomas’ debut EP, The Moment, is a track entitled “Team Leader,” a carefree and slow grooving track. It blends different elements of music to create a unique yet familiar sound. The lazy drum beat is the song’s foundation, keeping a nice pace and never showing off or doing anything fancy. Airy, retro synths add a touch of nostalgia at the start, but slowly melt away, never to be heard again. The bass line is particularly noteworthy, as it has a great groove and is the real underlying melodic element to the song. The delicate but lush guitar work is another highlight of the song. The acoustic guitar provides the rhythm, while the electric guitars add a modest riff that enhances the song's overall sound. That riff is quite catchy as well. The guitar work also involves sounds that slightly swell to form a padding effect. Despite the lyrical meaning of the song, Thomas’ vocal performance (as well as the whole song’s mood) is gentle and soothing, and creates a carefree vibe which fits the song perfectly. Overall, “Team Leader” is a well-crafted track and definitely worth three minutes and twenty-three seconds of your time.
The artist says: “The idea for the song initially came from a close friend of mine explaining a bad experience they had on a night out some years ago. It's difficult to talk about it without getting too personal but the ‘Team Leader’ references an imposing and abusive figure in power, but I wanted to portray them as this kind of cartoon character style villain.”