As I write this, outside it is grey, with clouds that offer an occasional half-hearted spittle. My partner and I just had an argument. Our puppy is gnawing at my feet and I am failing to use the calm, positive-only reinforcement with which we agreed to raise him. I am in a city where I know less than twenty people, and despite my claims at confidence and independence, I am lonely. My distractors are Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, ugly, fantasy substitutes for the real-world relationships I value. I feel bitter.
This is a review for “Moments,” a song by London-based alt rock band Everywhere. They describe it as a “laid-back anthemic retro stomper.” With my first listen, I think I sort of glean what that means. I attempt to think critically about the track. Is this what society even needs? Another poppy dance-track call to Carpe Diem? Didn’t “Dead Poets Society” come out, like, 20 years ago? (Actually, it came out 28 years ago.) Super deep, original thoughts—I know. I annoy myself. I stare out the window moodily.
But, something happens on my third or fourth listen. I start tapping my foot. I move around a little bit. I decide to pour myself a cup of coffee. Listening to the song’s looped, circular synths. I soften. I breathe. So what if it’s another anthemic pop dance track? It’s damn catchy. Can we ever really have enough of these?
Everywhere adapted “Moments” from Swedish Electronic crooner KEV. Of their reshaping, Everywhere said, “We just heard the original and felt that it screamed for a certain kind of arrangement and feel.” The original is electronic and huge. If Everywhere’s version is anthemic, KEV’s is epic. Everywhere injects “Moments” with a darkness and subtlety—despite its faster tempo—that does the song well. Swedish lead singer Max Berga’s voice has a youthful, un-self-conscious earnestness that is reflective of the song’s message. I would say that it’s less stomper and more cool strut, in a way that is reminiscent of M83’s “Midnight City.” You can imagine a supercut of you and your friends walking around a hip area of a cosmopolitan city to it. You’re all smiling and wearing perfectly fitted leather jackets. Life is good. That is the feel of “Moments.”
Certainly, Everywhere lives by the track’s mantra to, “get up now.” The group started when Berga accepted an invitation from producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons) to fly the band to Los Angeles for a recording session. The problem was, there was no band. Berga was undeterred. With limited time, he sent emails to musicians through Swedish website Bandfinder. Most recipients didn’t take the offer to fly to Los Angeles seriously. When Berga finally found a group to take the trip, Everywhere was born.
Hygge, yoga, the tomes written about self-care and slowing down—there is something about where we are now that is so focused on being about now. But, sometimes it can feel inauthentic. Every day, I try to force down my anxiety with twenty minutes of guided meditation that often makes me feel more anxious. I’ve been meaning to put a sticky note somewhere in my apartment to remind me to be more present, but it’s further down on my to-do list. On the other hand, “Moments” has no qualms about what it is—it’s a delicious, fun, ooey gooey pop song about being present. So perhaps, after I’m done writing, I’ll give my meditation app and cynicism a rest and let myself dance unabashedly for the track’s two minutes and 50 seconds. We’re in the moment now.
You can listen to “Moments” here:
About Maysie
Maysie is a New York-based writer. She likes sad movies, sketch comedy, and small town America. She spends her time reading, learning about food and wine, cuddling her pup, and watching people on the subway.
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