Tiberius - “Felt”
Photo by Zoe Hopper
Tiberius, from Boston, USA, unveil the vulnerable yet magnetic new single “Felt.”
“Felt” is a track that embodies the rich, musical eclecticism and songcraft that makes alt/indie rock so addictive to listen to. It isn’t afraid to dip its toes into different sonic territories. Shards of white noise, raw textures are mixed effortlessly with tender harmonies, swinging drum grooves and immersive guitar layering to create a compelling sonic collage.
In short, the song is a must listen. You are drawn in from the first note with the swaggering, relaxed charm of the verses. A sense of widescreen awe is always bubbling under the surface bringing to mind Blur from around 1997. Equal parts grit and melancholy.
Vocally, Tiberius give us a mostly conversational, unhurried performance that if anything allows the music to breathe. The tone is personal, it is the recounting of a story, yet there is a sense of detachment that almost keeps the ache at bay. Yet it seeps through in all of the nuances, inflections and pauses. The delivery is subtle and full of lingering tension. Underneath the immersive musicianship lies something more personal and confessional.
Brendan Wright from Tiberius elaborates: “When I wrote Felt, I was fairly fresh out of a breakup and was spending a lot of time looking for distractions. Instead of tackling some bigger questions, and engaging in a healthy recovery, I was tucking away my feelings into compartments and distracting myself with casual dating. I was spending some late nights slipping into the backstories of strangers’ lives - exhilarating, but merely theatrical. It never eased the issue at hand. I was alone, and I was terrified to sit with that.”