Earlier this year, I wrote about San Diego, CA-based indie electro pop/dream pop project Inspired and the Sleep. Comprised of signer/songwriter Max Greenhalgh, multi-instrumentalist Bryce Outcault and a revolving cast of musicians and collaborators, the Southern California-based duo received attention both locally and regionally with the 2014 release of Eyelid Kid, an album comprised dream pop-leaning material. Now, as you may know, with the release of “Sweet Company,” the duo turned towards a breezier and lighter sound with the duo returning to self-production, while combining electronic production techniques with live instrumentation; in fact, the duo revealed that they specialized in crafting buoyant hooks with a wistful yet deeply appreciative feel.
The band’s latest single “Getting Through” is arguably their most upbeat and dance floor friendly song, and it sounds as though Greenhalgh, Outcault and company had been drawing from St. Lucia as they pay a buoyant and rousingly anthemic hook with layers of staccato synths, propulsive drum programming, bursts of live instrumentation featuring shimmering guitar, swirling electronics and a sinuous bass line paired with Greenhalgh’s sultriest vocal turn yet. And while seeming upbeat, the song manages to have a much deeper message as the duo informed me by email. As the band explains: “‘Getting Through’ is a tune that takes a third party view of the walls we put up against the people we hold the closest. It seems so obtuse to shut out the ones we, at one point, held so dearly. You can’t help, but ask yourself why.” As a result, the song possesses an underlying irony at its core.
