“At The Seams” by Bitter Machine is a journey through every possible visceral feeling a song could make you experience. With the frenetic energy of a punk song, the lively synths of an electronic pop piece, and the heart-wrenching breakdown of a singer-songwriter ballad, it’s almost like a masterclass in songwriting. You literally couldn’t want anything else from it. It’s beautiful. It’s angry. It’s fun. It’s quite frankly a masterpiece.
A simple drum groove gets us started, followed closely by a warbling, probably delay-based sound that culminates in a single, distorted note. Bass comes in to form some semblance of a chord structure, although it remains pretty amorphous. “I feel it happening / I feel it coming apart,” the singer chants, repeating the first phrase with every lyric. His non-melodic stylings are perfectly emotive, hitting those cool, punk affectations right on the head. As the chorus hits, he begins to sing, enveloped in thick power chords and fuzzy synths. We experience this climactic release with grace, elegance, and a good helping of grit.
While most of the song maintains its hardcore, edgy shell, the bridge breaks into something delicate. Dreamy piano frames a sentimental chord progression, topped by the newly sweet melody. It’s an immense juxtaposition and an effective one at that. A wildly distorted synth swell takes us back into the previous frenzy, leaving the listener in shock, awe, and delight.
Give Bitter Machine a listen! It’s truly a wonderful example of musicianship. You won’t soon forget the way it makes you feel.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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