Something truly intriguing has been created by Houston trio The Shrubs though their song Fall Behind that can feel both highly personal and massively alive at the same time. The band, which is composed of two brothers, Josh and Miguel, and Sophie, has taken years to perfect this song and this effort is reflected in every single note.
The first thing that comes to mind is the brightness of the arrangement: chiming arpeggios play around melodic guitar leads and a rhythm section gives it the basis and personality. The production, entirely in their home studio Flowers on the Wall, reflects a band with no fear to go the way they want by unorthodox methods. Their adherence to vintage analogue, where they bounced the tracks between the reel-to-reel players and the cassettes, creates this song with an air of instability and retro warmth that cannot be achieved with the use of modern plugins.
The vocal performance is one outstanding feature: airy, clear, and rivetingly emotional, and harmonies that sprout at the right time. This is a very beautiful textural depth that makes the process of listening to the song over and over again rewarding as it moves out of its open, airy sounding into a very moving and broad climax that feels so well deserved.
Inspired by the surf rock veterans such as The Ventures and the Bambi Molesters, Fall Behind is a calculated step of The Shrubs- it is a transition between their previous, more gloomy music and something much more uplifting and energetic. But not below those playful, threading guitar tunes, there is one more complicated thing: thoughtful lyrics that form a touching contrast, but which do not slow down the song, being rather emotionally enriching.
Such is psychedelic rock created by artists who pay sincere attention to the sound character and aesthetic values. Fall Behind never follows the fads or follows appeal to the radio; it seeks something deeper and more lasting a sound that is both nostalgically close and refreshingly different. What you end up with is a song that creeps upon you and then will not go.
