The Rising - Olympus/ I Want You ( I Need You)

The Rising are an incredibly versatile 7-piece band from Southampton; and they recently released a double A-Side single with the songs; 'Olympus' / 'I Want You ( I Need You)' on it. The double A-Side was released on the 4th of November 2016.

The first track is called 'Olympus' and it opens with a very Britpop vibe; however you can also hear hints of The Kinks and The Beatles as it simultaneously brings out a very 60's vibe; especially when the backing vocals begin to kick in. Tommy Overington on lead vocals has a very distinctive voice and he uses it to his advantage as he passionately sings the closing line of;

"And now I do believe.."

The only thing about this song is that some of it is very lyrically inapt; and for a song with a length of almost six minutes you want six minutes of pure genius. On the other hand all of the instruments are on point from start to finish and the tension built throughout the track really solidifies it.

The last song 'I Want You (I Need You)' is my favourite of the two. This is a real rock'n'roll tune; it's jam-packed with heavy guitars, head banging drums, tension built instrumentals and catchy chorus'. There's a lot of symbolism created within this song which is correlated to freedom which I like because the title contradicts the meaning of the song as it creates a realisation between a need and want - and when you distinguish the difference you're free. There are symbolisms to the clouds, rainbows and the ocean which refers to infinity and also birds which are a key sign of freedom. Overington goes on to sing this line within the last verse which implies that somebody is holding him back and preventing him from being freed;

"Please release me, free me from these chains."

I particularly liked the keyboard dominated solo making the track a bit techno and futuristic as it switches the rock'n'roll track up a bit. Also; not only does this song have deeper intensions than the surface level; it has a proper head banging catchy chorus of;

"Cus I want you and I need you. Just wanna touch you, just wanna feel you."

In conclusion the Double A-Side has impressed me; especially the last track - resulting in me buying their 7" record! This is a band to watch out for and I hope to see them progress throughout their career;  definitely worth a listen f you haven't already.

You can listen to 'Olympus' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9rjJNh8Kwc
You can listen to 'I Want You ( I Need You)' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgj2DIpY4I
You can buy their 7" Double A-Side here: http://shop.detourrecords.co.uk/epages/es785745.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=%2FShops%2Fes785745%2FProducts%2FRISOLY-7&Locale=en_GB