Neon Radiation – “Waiting”
Neon Radiation – “Waiting” – Single Review
Neon Radiation is always welcome in these speakers of ours. Been awesome to have’em back in action and thriving again in 2019 with a whole bunch of brand-new tunes for us – the first of which, called “Intoxicated,” we just reviewed a few days or so ago with a solid thumbs-up of approval. Neon Radiation is definitely one of those names that shows up and the excitement/anticipation of what might be found instantly kicks-in hard. Not only can you always expect supreme quality, but you can count on radiantly colorful ideas and highly-expressive sound at all times – and that’s definitely what you’ll find on the new song “Waiting.” Reliable as ever, Neon Radiation has a sweet & subtle, single-worthy tune.
According to the notes I’ve got here behind the scenes, the musical-mastermind & driving-force of Neon Radiation, Gary Blake, was “inspired by the recent Chvrches / Marshmellow collaboration” when it came to creating the atmosphere & vibes on “Waiting.” So for those of you familiar with the tune (“Here With Me”), or at least familiar with the artists behind that collaboration, you’ve got an idea of what you’re in-store for here with this latest track from Neon Radiation – for those of you that aren’t, you’ll be stoked on what you find here. With a mid-tempo pace & an artistic design, “Waiting” embraces the creative freedom inside of inspiration, and ends up finding its own uniqueness as a result; essentially it’s a perfect example of how an artist/band can draw from others without ending up with a song that feels like an intentional copy. While there’s just about every reason under the sun to give Neon Radiation real credit for what this entire project is consistently capable of – the cleverness in the planning, focus, and commitment to the ideas always reveals a depth of care & attention to detail that others simply just don’t have – and as overlooked as that aspect might be due to the shiny hooks & incredible sound, Gary deserves to be recognized for that. Not only are the beats he produces, creates, and dreams-up always spot-on & flawlessly smooth, but he always finds the right collaborators he needs to bring the vision to fruition…and of course, “Waiting” is no exception to that rule, or the high-standards of Neon Radiation.
The sincerity you’ll find in the lyrics comes through vibrantly in the vocals, and the hooks make their mark. Personally, I dig tunes like “Waiting” quite a bit for the fact that, upon that first listen, everything sounds great – but within a couple more spins, those same hooks that were once tugging at your sleeve to listen are now pulling you in like a bear-hug to keep listening MORE. Words & imagery are great on “Waiting” as well…I dig how the verses set up the situation and the chorus supplies the solutions; you’ll find a theme you can relate to in both of the main parts of this song. We’ve all waited too long for life & love at points – and there’s also a point where we finally make that breakthrough we need…we stop “Waiting” and we start going after EVERYTHING with a totally different perspective, attitude, & purpose. From a mere songwriting standpoint, you gotta admire how tight this single really is…the verses capture that pensive thought-provoking atmosphere in the music to echo the lyricism spot-on, and the transformation into the uplifting, inspiring, and hopeful threads that run through the chorus blissfully expand, perfectly blossoming this idea from its point-A to B with beautifully colorful & expressive sound. The execution is as pro as it gets from all involved – which is certainly a part of Neon Radiation’s DNA – no matter what direction the music goes in or what it ends up sounding like, at the core of it all, you’ll always find everything’s perfectly in-line, on-time, and performed with a remarkable flawlessness. From the graceful & gorgeous vocals that flow throughout “Waiting,” to the guest appearance from Gordon Stockley lending his talents on guitar to this hybrid single, to the immaculate precision and stunning sound that Gary’s always got in-store for ya from the lefts to the rights – the results come out shining. A solid combination of emotional depth & catchy sound – Neon Radiation creates a wonderfully moving movement in time with “Waiting” that encourages us all to embrace life & love right in the here & now for all its worth & never let it go. Inspiring sentiment & superior sound – you KNOW you got time for that.
“Waiting” is officially being released on June 28th this year – make sure to stay up to-date on the details by keeping an eye & an ear (or two!) on the official Neon Radiation page at Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1F59MfIZRRrFIB3XAo5IO6
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