Single Review: Take That – ‘These Days’
2 min read
Who saw that coming eh? Seemingly content with being a four-piece, out of nowhere Jason Orange decides to quit the band, leaving the other members perplexed as they ready themselves to release a new record. Hats off to the marketing company who quickly got on board and named the upcoming record III – or was this all planned for PR? Let the conspiracy theories commence!
Anyway, we’re here to talk about the new single These Days, so lets leave all the band politics behind, quickly remind ourselves that they are now a trio, and see how the track fares shall we? Starting off with an early 90s vibe – noticeably the era when the band began – it quickly fills itself out with popular sounds of today; disco edged guitars, snapping drums and a nice build up all reach a conclusion in a dance-fuelled chorus.
You can see why they used this as a lead single with the band situation, with the lyrics playing on times gone by, but also living for what’s to come: ‘I can see the future coming to you, crying away the sadness in your eyes’. It has a catchy, fun element, and it’s a brave leading single, not being a traditional new-era Take That style tune.
However, dare I say it, but does the track sound a bit young for them? It’s feels like for the first time Take That don’t know what age they are appealing to anymore. The track is a call to please everybody, and with this, it feels a little washed out and bland at times. The summery pop feel doesn’t really suit them like it used to, and at a time when they need to rally around each other, it would be best to stick to what they know well – big and emotional anthems.
These Days is an attempt to kick off life as a three-piece with a feel-good tune, but actually sounds like what they are feeling, a little uncertain and confused about where to go. It’s not bad, but hopefully the boys have a few more aces up their sleeves on the new record.
