Hot off the press from the music scene of Sydney comes the new single ‘The Darkest Horse’ from five-piece band The Grand Union.
There’s absolutely no mistaking what this single is. It’s a classic rock track, plain and simple. Stacked with guitar riffs that any blues rock artist would groove to, drums that echo across everything in support, and the drama of 1980s glam rock, this song has got the lot.
It has to be said, it does start to feel like the obvious musical choices were taken. This realisation comes when the classic shredding guitar solo comes in three quarters of the way into it. You have to make the point that, although The Grand Union has given us a proficient rock and roll song, it’s difficult to say that there’s much that is fresh about it.
Nevertheless, there’s still much to enjoy in the five minutes of listening. An interesting feature is a chaotic but pleasing breakdown just before the solo. It’s a great tool to let you know there’s something big coming, and certainly gives you a reason to give it another listen.
The Grand Union evidently has talent. They know how to write a good rock song, they can give us an ear-piercing guitar solo and can give us a guitar riff that would fit in with any other classic riff, but I feel like they could do more. When I say more, I don’t mean more effort, I just mean something new and exciting. We’ve heard a rock track that sounds like ‘The Darkest Horse’ so many times, so what else can the Australian band do?
They have the skills, they just need to push themselves even further. If they test the boundaries, listeners will follow.