Trace The Sidewalk: “Simply Livin” – a big rock and rollicking banger
Trace The Sidewalk is a rock collaboration featuring Dean Ferrito and Matthias Niehues. Their debut full-length album “UKSA” will be released at the end of 2018. The duo’s first single is “Simply Livin”. It’s the type of song that does its job so well, it makes you think that maybe the reason why ‘arena rock’ is such a popular trend on mainstream radio is that it has the potential to be totally awesome. “Simply Livin” is, indeed, totally awesome; a song that bursts through all of the restrictive stereotypes of its genre to reveal itself as something totally classic and inspiring. I may not catch all the lyrics, but that won’t stop me from singing it out at the top of my lungs. Trace The Sidewalk do something incredible here, they blend traces of the British invasion with Glam, Southern and arena rock. The result is a big rock and rollicking banger.
For the most part, that’s where Trace The Sidewalk focuses its attention. Big production, big vocals, big hooks, big choruses: big everything. Trace The Sidewalk simply do big, very well, putting to rest the common misconception that magnitude and discipline have an inverse relationship in songwriting.
The band fires on all cylinders here, meticulously polishing every aspect of their music, from the consistently excellent basslines, to the gruff vocals, the driving percussion and dirty overdriven guitar riffs – though overproduced this is not. In fact, the band’s attention to detail is precisely what allows them to surprise us, and often.
Trace The Sidewalk really put all they had into this song, and it shows. The mood it creates and energy it puts out makes it almost addicting. Dean Ferrito and Matthias Niehues sound mature, comfortable, and locked in with one another.
Comprised of nothing but good old fashioned talent, Trace The Sidewalk bless the world with their ear-pleasing music, free of pretension. Bouncing with good rocking vibes, there is no way to not enjoy this song. It surfs on a rasping swagger and rocket-powered guitars. It’s brash, glib, and undeniably catchy.
Even if you could care less for their sticky rock rhythms, it is obvious that arena rock urgently requires an infusion of wild boy braggadocio. And until someone better comes along, Trace The Sidewalk are the boys for the job. Those who long for the days when rock n’ roll was enthralling and joyously straightforward, “Simply Livin” will probably be a welcome celebration of sound.
At a time when EDM-influenced teenagers with laptops are capable of filling stadiums with a click of a mouse, the organic sound of Trace The Sidewalk feels like a necessary corrective for the rock genre. Fueled by an unstoppable force and always putting their music first, Trace The Sidewalk are reaching towards their full potential.
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