Single Review: Be Like Pablo – ‘Without the Pain’ (feat. Kuda)
2 min read
Without the Pain sounds just as wacky as the back-story of Be Like Pablo, a relatively new Scottish band of school teachers.
This track off their debut album The New Adventures features some cool retro synthesizers, which seem to form the basis of the band’s sound. The verses are fairly laid-back with lead singer Ewen Watson’s impossibly high vocals (for most men) sounding like a cross between Ian Kenny (of Birds of Tokyo and Karnivool) and Nate Reuss (of fun.), so they sound delightfully nerdy and awkward.
However, the combination of Watson’s vocals and the guest rap by Scottish rapper Kuda ruin the verses slightly. Watson and Kuda are like two people talking at the same time and competing for attention in the verses (which is annoying). It would have been better if Kuda had solo rap parts throughout the track, and not just in the middle and at the very end.
Fortunately, the choruses are just rocky, head-banging fun. Despite the multiple hooks, Watson’s lead vocals are the focus and the background vocals are not overbearing. The cacophony of hooks in the choruses somehow works.
A funky drum machine breakdown (which reminds me of the intro to Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing) allows the track to breathe for a bit, before a return to the catchy chorus and the inevitable guitar solo.
At just over 3 minutes, Without the Pain is a good quick addition to the track list at a party. The song is quite catchy and easy to sing, hum or scream drunkenly to, so you don’t even have to know the words.
Buy ‘Be Like Pablo – Without The Pain’ from Amazon
