The demand for dance-pop and EDM within recent years has developed some of the pop ethos’ most prolific names. From those over-arching roots comes an inevitable lust to see just how flexible and capable the defining traits of the genre are. One of the most forward-thinking and eccentric of the dance feverish hive mind are British dance experimentalists Clean Bandit. The group refuses to be catalogued and forgotten amongst their contemporaries, and avoid doing so through their bold experiments that champion an appreciation for classical tropes married with the hyper-intensive electro-pop familiar within the musical landscape of now. It is through such unconventional holy matrimony in which the sheer daring quirks of the group have made them an intermittent mainstream sensation.
The group’s latest track ‘Tick Tock’ utilises the aforementioned strengths to a-tee, allowing their reputation to precede them. Whilst this isn’t exactly them recreating the wheel or exploring concepts foreign to their discography, the track understands its purpose and proceeds to stretch limitations, as they so often do. It is in fact this sustained mentality to push the status quo and toy with preconceived formulas that have constantly gravitated me back to their sound and left intrigued by their unorthodox antics. Whilst this firmly plays a recurring role in my enjoyment for the group, it is often through their more than questionable collaborative partnerships that spoil the experience, and unfortunately ‘Tick Tock’ isn’t entirely exempt from the crime.
Clean Bandit continues to boldly flaunt their grasp of electro and orchestral fusion by weaving the two drastically juxtaposed elements into the one cohesive instrumental. Ushered in on its modern roots, the minimalist synth work mediates a refined pristine sound with an infectiously flamboyant momentum. Upon reaching the chorus, the instrumental undergoes a transitional overhaul and adopts divine symphonic pampering. Toying with the idea of suppressed, and subsequently released tension, it is within the gradual and progressive build-up of the instrumental in which it gains extravagant roots. Everything is built along such a cohesive spine that each and every element of the instrumental is granted such free-flowing and fluid movement. It is from the pure euphoric elegance and lavish stature of the orchestral elements in which the track gains a certain enthralling quality that I can’t help but feel immersed in. It is the same striking divinity that makes Clean Bandit’s discography one of notoriety and versatility.
Where the production goes above and beyond to elevate the visceral feel of the track, it is within the vocal performances in which it’s ascension remains firmly grounded. In perhaps the track’s greatest downfall, there is an immediate suggestive nod to a lack of chemistry. Both in theory and practice, the likes of Mabel and up and comer 24kGoldn sharing the stage continues to perplex me as the two seem worlds apart in terms of sonic identity. Granted, UK born Mabel largely conforms to the luxurious sound and sustained lethargic movements dictated by the strings. With smokey measure and free-flowing, sensual vocals, she shares a similar weightless figure that fades perfectly into the overarching palette. That ever-looming sense of doubt that clouds the cohesion of the record becomes a souring reality when 24kGoldn enters the equation. In a completely ignorant showing, it feels as if he completely fails to understand the appeal of the track. In virtually every way possible he contests the organic and elegant elements of the track in his microscopic, overly frantic showing. It utterly amazes me that within such a minimal amount of time, not even long enough for him to leave a lasting impact, 24kGoldn manages to completely derail an otherwise streamlined sound.
These shortcomings are somewhat sustained as they bleed into the superficial and surface-level lyrical approach of an age-old classic. Concerned with a love affair that is recognised as harmful, the protagonist is torn between a position of self-establishment and the yearning demands for a now removed, otherworldly connection. This unidentified figure occupies every second of every hour, with just grand and compassionate they were. But at the end of the day, this is nothing new, and the approach here offers little to nothing in a continuous string of renditions. The lyrics lack the intimacy, or methodical placement of vivid details to make anything feel real or visceral, and in many ways, is rife with tedious repetition. Giving credit where it is due, in a truly obscure, and almost painfully obvious way, the relationship between the “tick-tock” and “24/7” motif builds off of a persistent time metric that encompasses the whole track. Stretching from the yearning of eternal love, to beyond the lyrics with the witty title, ‘Tick Tock’ weasels in an element of blatantly evident, yet full-circle pop-writing genius.
The best way to understand what works, and what doesn’t with ‘Tick Tock’ is to effectively dissect it into the segmented roles. Where Clean Bandit have yet again found a pocket in which the world’s of electro-pop and orchestral scapes flirt and bounce off each other, they have simultaneously diminished the role of the producer through poor guest selection. In many ways, I feel as if the song was set up for failure given how feeble and surface-level the topic feels. A recurring fault of the act that leaves me perplexed each and every time is the criminal pairing of immaculate, forward-thinking production that is left ravaged and buried beneath these unremarkable and superficial vocal performances. As previously stated, ‘Tick Tock’ isn’t some exclusive or era-defining venture in Clean Bandit’s discography, but I can’t help but feel it is the beginning of their next full-bodied undertaking. Given a Clean Bandit album is more of a compilation tape of collaborations, rather than a linear, thematic work, I can’t wait to see how this track stacks up against its inevitably gargantuan competition.
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