This track by Manchester (even though two of them started life in London) newcomers City Reign is pretty good if slightly unspectacular. It has all the ingredients to break it above being average into definite “good” territory, including a stabby punchy guitar, insightful lyrics, a long “whoooaaaaaahhh” section and some drum fill that make you worry for Sam Jones’ arms as he crashes with utter devotion, especially towards the end of this track. It’s got that bratty sound that Dive Dive have managed to perfect over recent years, while still tipping their caps at arguably Manchesters biggest export, Oasis.
It’s all delivered in a nice little package and sealed with a kiss.
'Daybreak' has been doing the rounds for a while though, one way of the other. An early demo, and long time live favourite among people who have attended their local shows, it’s about time this track got a proper single release. The problem is that there’s a tiny something missing. It ticks all the boxes, but there’s no raw passion behind it. It’s a good song because they’ve worked on it for ages, but on the recording it’s got no real power or edge (other than the aforementioned drums which are utterly blinding). It’s been lost in the production. Conversely, the B-side, a live version of 'The Line', sounds more…real. Big, epic sounding with its heavy drums, wailing vocals and careful building to its crunching finale, it’s not the most imaginative of songs, but it’s got an emotion behind it, a real power that can transfer to the audience.
This isn’t to say that 'The Line' is good and 'Daybreak' is bad, because they’re both good. I just find that 'Daybreak' is just missing on that final ingredient. It’s a bit like a cake you’ve forgotten to put the sugar in. It looks good, and the icing and cream give you something tasty to chew on, but the sponge itself is a bit flat.
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This isn’t to say that 'The Line' is good and 'Daybreak' is bad, because they’re both good. I just find that 'Daybreak' is just missing on that final ingredient. It’s a bit like a cake you’ve forgotten to put the sugar in. It looks good, and the icing and cream give you something tasty to chew on, but the sponge itself is a bit flat.
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