Sometimes a band will find itself straddling the line between different genres or subgenres. Such is the case for Brooklyn-based indie rockers Small Black, whose most recent single, “No One Wants It to Happen to You,” wedges them somewhere within the realm of the new wave and the chillwave.
The Tycho-esque bassline and wall-of-sound aesthetic may seem like hallmarks of the chillwave genre, but I would argue that there is a little more to it. Lead vocalist Josh Kolenik’s lyrics cut through a shoegaze haze created by guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Heynar and bassist Juan Pieczanski. This is a contrast to Small Black’s other chillwave contemporaries like Ernest Greene’s outfit Washed Out, whose vocals have so much reverb they seem to delicately drift off into the ether.
The drum track, laid down by Jeff Curtin, recalls both the punch and the rigid rhythms of dance-rock pioneers New Order. Programmed drums blend with a live drum kit for an added punch to the ambient dance groove.
And “No One Wants It to Happen to You” integrates lo-fi sounds in a way that makes them feel natural and organic to the framework of the track. These sounds meld with the various synth sounds to form a sonic expression that feels like soft sunlight washing across your face.
Small Black have yet again procured sounds and instrumentation that has the ability to simultaneously make you feel like dancing or make you feel like kicking back and relaxing for a bit. The delicate balance is employed here to produce a track perfect for winding down on a brisk fall night around a warm fire and even warmer company.