There is a certain type of relationship argument, where you both know you’re talking about the same thing, but neither of you can quite believe you’re in the same universe. One of you believes everything’s crumbling; the other believes everything’s fine.
Rosso Tierney‘s “Feel” gets it, as in its own way, by making that emotional disconnect audible. The solo artist’s new single is a guitar-laden alternative rock tune, imbued with a distinctly 90s flavour, embracing the big guitars and melodic punch of that decade without the nostalgia running as a personality trait.
“Feel” is about connection and disconnection; about how two people can endure the same situation and come out as two entirely different people. We all get it, yeah, but that’s not the point as it avoids many relationship clichés on a guitar and praying the distortion pedal will handle the rest.
The song is partly rooted in the musical history of its writer, Tierney. As a multi-instrumentalist musician who plays guitar, bass and piano, Tierney had spent years in punk bands, making DIY records and touring in the UK and throughout Europe before reclaiming his solo career. His broader influences range from glam rock and alternative to more theatrical modern acts, allowing him room to shift from melodic sensitivity to rock thrash.
There’s a more intimate side to his songwriting as well, one which stems from encounters with mental health, neurodivergence, spirituality and the process of healing. This doesn’t necessarily mean all his songs are anything close to serious, but it does tell you that he’s thinking about the complex process of what it’s like to get to know yourself and those around you. “Feel” comfortably in that space, exploring emotional isolation as something to explore rather than just shout about.
Jason’s single was produced by Sam Graves (Asking Alexandria “The Black”) and mixed and mastered by Joe Graves, is about to release an aim of a smooth, cinematic sound that isn’t forsaking its rock roots.
“Feel” isn’t reinventing alternative rock and it doesn’t have to. The hook is that in a way, that is what the band does, by having a common, knuckled-up sound, which they use to delve into a common and eternally irritating human circumstance. You can have two people who love each other and still not understand where the other is coming from. All you can do is turn the guitars up and hope someone listens.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
