Directing disco beats and shiny indie-pop riffs, Ormistons debut single ‘Rebel’ emerges to the scene in a flashy, polished and familiar style.
Nodding its head to retro themes through its disco-funk chic, ‘Rebel’ pairs itself with an old-school Top of the Pops themed music video. Directed by Ariel Poupart, he explains,
“Along with Ormiston, we decided to go with a Top of the Pops setting for his musical performance. I loved the texture of the song Rebel that felt very analogic to me. I wanted to recreate that same texture though the images and got very inspired by everything that could alter the image. When we settled on using old cathodic televisions as a means to distort and modify the visuals, I got very enthusiastic and so we got 13 of them!”
The visuals certainly go hand in hand with ‘Rebel’, igniting aesthetics of the past whilst having the luxury of being experienced through a clean and slick production. As the world of indie pop is seeing a surge in the application of disco, the track very much feels like a part of the current trend. It does, however, feel like one of the stronger indie-pop/disco fusion tracks I’ve heard in the past few months.
This being said, what I can’t unhear is the fact that ‘Rebel’ is particularly reminiscent of the style of MGMT, and in certain places feels a little too similar to place it down to coincidence. From the stylistic choice of guitar tones, playing style and condensed vocals, if someone told me I was listening to an MGMT track I wouldn’t think twice about questioning it.
Though not a direct carbon copy, the stylistic similarities let the track down slightly, as although the track itself is certainly enjoyable, I can’t help but feel it’s just not their own. ‘Rebel’ shows that Ormiston is undeniably talented in their performance and musical ability, but individuality is yet to come. With this being their debut single, I’ve no doubt that in the next few releases we’ll have the opportunity to watch Ormiston apply their talents and grow into their own unique style.