‘Double Yellow‘ is the latest single by Ski Lift, the project of Welsh born/Croydon-based songwriter Benji Tranter with Elizabeth Walsh on bass and vocals and Adam Fletcher on drums. With its nostalgic sound, enchanting melody, and evocative lyrics, it captivated me on first listen.
The music kicks off with a gritty, grunge-infused strumming of rhythm guitars accompanied by a cool drum groove. The soft vocals gracefully float atop the guitar, while a subtle low harmony accentuates the main vocal line with a touch of melancholy. Eventually, the track drops, with the drums adopting a richer and warmer tone and the track builds for a big chorus marked by a fuzz-laden guitar chop followed by the lyric hook “my little universe” – underscoring the theme of our shrinking world during lockdown – a line you just have to sing along with. As a call-and-response melody follows, the guitars step back to give the vocals a central spotlight.
With shades of ’90s bands like Weezer, whose influence is easy to hear, the track also brings to mind more contemporary artists like Soccer Mommy and Palehound.
A song written over lockdown, it captures the newfound fascination in the mundane and ordinary that we felt over that time, confined indoors with little to do but embark on our daily walks. The song paints vivid images of common-place things that often escape our notice in ‘normal’ daily life. Of the lyrics, Tranter explains:
“During the lockdown of 2021, I explored my local area on foot most days – Broad Green, Waddon Marsh (overshadowed by the giant gasworks which have since been torn down) and Wandle Park. I became familiar with, and fond of, many little details and aspects I hadn’t noticed in busier times. I felt strange knowing that when life sped back up, I might not see those places again in the same way.”
Having shared a stage with bands such as Holiday Ghosts, ARXX and Mary in the Junkyard, Ski Lift have already received radio play and support from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and Radio X’s John Kennedy, demonstrating they are a band not to be ignored.
Watch a beautiful live session of ‘Double Yellow’ that the band recorded for Sub Cat Records; really highlighting their tight musicianship and the intricate harmonies they’re able to create.
Catch Ski Lift live on 29th March at The Cavendish Arms’ London Indie Pop Weekender – get tickets here.
Ella Patenall
@ellapatenall
Photo Credit: Jas Kisbee
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