Plain White Ts - 'Hate (I Really Don't Like You)'
Look, we all know what we're going to do while listening to this song, right? We're not going to be cocking a friendly ear, thinking about the music, stroking our respective chins and going "hmmm, yes, I can see what you've done there", not with this band. What we're all going to be doing is cocking a hopeful ear, crossing our fingers, then uncrossing them, sighing and going "oh...this isn't as good as 'Hey There Delilah' at ALL, is it?".
So, let's not do it.
Let's just imagine that this is a totally new song, by a totally new band, who have never had a massive hit single which crossed over from a teenage pop audience to gruff rockers to Radio 2 grannies and beyond. Let's pretend we're all delighted that a band has chosen to follow in the pop/rocking steps of the Feeling. The kind of band who've elected to decorate their new song with a dramatic curlicue of a guitar riff, while singing in a high, reedy voice, about dramatic emotions and stuff.
Let's also imagine that we're all delighted to discover that there's a smidge of Fall Out Boy to the chorus, so much so that this brand new band could be said to fill the (probably not all that massive) gap between FOB and Maroon 5, which should suit fans of both bands down to the ground. It's like a public service, joining all the musical dots and allowing people to travel from one band to another - and eventually between genres - along seamless rails.
It's a lovely world we're creating here, donchathink? I mean I'm not entirely sure why we'd all be here listening to this song in the first place if it hadn't come from the same band who gave us...no, I said we wouldn't do this and we're not going to.
What I WILL say is that the bit where he sings "all that I needed was your love, love, loveloveloveLOOOVE" is worth the price of admission alone. But some of the more obvious, bland moments do subtract from this one pinnacle of brilliance to such an extent that it's possible you might still want to get your money back.
So, for a brand new band, it's an inauspicious start. Hopefully they've got some killer song ready to go for next time or they won't really make that much of an impact, right? ;-)
Download: Out now
CD Released: December 10th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
omgsh this song is sooooo good!!!
The need to release Fireworks over here!
Or Breakdown
Or even A Lonely September
:)
x
2 stars? Hm...
I really really really like it!
When are they going to blimmin release 'All That We Needed,' eh? Reckless lovesongs for the win, everything else I've heard of them falls miles short.
Then again, my rampant hate of 'Hey There Delilah' may have tarred everything of theirs with the same 'argh god at least change the dynamic or SOMETHING' brush.
I really didn't think that any could make a song as frustratingly bland as Delilah, but it seems they did. Well done, chaps!
Hmmph. I agree with Frazer here, I was rather hoping it would be a brilliant hit like Deliliah, but they've got in the direction of The Feeling, which incidentally is a band I despise (awful songs.)
Maybe after a few listens I will begin to like it, but I tell you, I won't be buying it on Itunes or anything. WHY is it on the Radio 1 Playlist ?!!
I feel I must protest at the comparison to The Feeling, they are much better than Plain White T's (damn, even their name is bland!).
The Feeling are a a top quality band, whose music is infinitely better than anything that the T's can manage. The Feeling got that Ivor Novello ward for a reason you know (and they've got better haircuts too, missus!) So there!
this is a good song, not graet but good. 'hey there delilah' much like other title tracks tend to take the shine off their predecessors. however every band has an acoustic in them, the plain white T's unfortunately had this for there debut. now everyone is led to believe that they are a soft, acoustic, newton fawlkner-esc band. here the plain white T's show what there made of and come out with the emo lyrics and minor chords following in the footsteps of jimmy eat world. to the misfortune of them, hey there delilah will cast a shadow over there career as their peak, its a shame they had only just made their breakthrough, this song: bad for radio one listeners, good for Rockers. but i'm sure radio one can tweak this song to make it acceptable, like they did with 30 seconds to mars' 'the kill' by removing the screaming making it a lower standard.