Rollicking synth work, emotive vocal performances, and unexpected moments of weightlessness flow throughout the newest single from the American songwriting duo.
Sometimes a song just hooks you in- it can be the phrasing, an irresistible melody, or all the elements as a whole working together. With “Draw the Line,” its undulating synth line was that hook for me. Westrin and Mowry tapped into the right amount of grit and magnificence in their electronic texturing for this track, with the continued motif of this intro hook throughout sending waves of sensation through the ears.
The duo’s singing soars over these waves in a grand way that seemed left in the 80s until synth-pop acts like Future Islands brought it back into the public sphere in recent years. Just as the Islands’ Samuel Herring can bend the voice between Rod Stewart growls and bleeding-heart croons, Westrin and Mowry too inject each crescendo of vocal fortitude with just the right amount of grit. It grounds the electronic elements in its organic, felt presence, and truly shines in the quieter moments of “Draw the Line.” Two thirds of the way into the song, almost all drops away except for spare keys, ambient wind, trickling apeggiation, and that voice. The words “I must have left you stranded in your mind / can you leave it all behind?” pass into view before ushering in the punch of the chorus one last time.
“Draw the Line” is out now and streaming everywhere- do your ears a favor and give it a listen.
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Review by Bobby Guard
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