Last week dark, but playful grunge band Murmur released their second single ‘Cradle’. With their last single ‘Fragile’ surpassing 13,000 streams on Spotify the band are beginning to make a name for themselves in the Brighton music scene.
Who are Murmur? Brighton is full of grunge bands which can make it extremely difficult to stand out, however with their dark but playful sound Murmur are managing to do just that. The three-piece, comprising of George Mills, Ben Jordan and Jack Looker, hail from East Staffordshire but have come to find base in Brighton after attending university together. With songs filled with fuzzy bass lines, socially conscious lyrics and guitar riff-heavy, Murmur offer grunge music that is extremely likeable by all.
With over two years between their first release Fragile and newest Cradle, it is very clear to me that not only the band but their fans too have been building up the excitement surrounding this release. With such a long gap between releases, it comes as no surprise that there has been a lot of anticipation for the band to release more music. From looking online it is obvious that people are loving the long-awaited release and are streaming it to death within the first week.
Cradle does not mess around, getting straight to the point with a huge sound, the song has masses of promise within seconds. The drums come in without any reservations, the frantic beat makes sure that you are listening and builds up anticipation for the lead vocal.
My first impression of this song is that you know the instant you hear the vocal melody that Cradle has the potential to be very catchy. With staccato beats and short phrasing, it feels impossible to not get at least one element of this song stuck in your head (in a good way).
Overall the song has a fun upbeat feel whilst still being serious, this is something that I find admirable with bands as it is no easy thing to do. Although Murmur’s lyrics are often socially conscious they are able to tackle these situations with songs that are light and energetic.
For someone who’s first choice in music is not grunge I found myself actually really enjoying this track and will definitely be giving grunge a second chance.
Listen to Murmur on Spotify