Tomi Voltanas leads with a brilliantly expressive and characterful vocal on this, the opening single from his album Dark Angel. Can’t See You Without Me is a totally unusual and subsequently fascinating song that sees Voltanas pour his honest perspective into the process in a raspy and sleepy fashion. Meanwhile these distorted riffs and a light drum-line linger in the backdrop, not creating the weight of rock initially, but instead – leaving plenty of space in order that this voice and these words stand as tall as possible.
As the song progresses, that unpredictable aura kicks in even more so as a repetitive outburst from the hook is accompanied by the full throttle vibrancy of a real rock soundscape. It’s a big moment, but still the song is nothing like its peers right now. There’s very little to compare this too, and that makes it incredibly refreshing. Furthermore, it makes you likely to listen through the rest of the album. There’s a level of intrigue and appeal to the view the artist holds and the way he writes from experience. There’s also a lot to love about his voice and indeed the instrumental set-up of this music. You can lose yourself within it, things build brilliantly, and by the end you know the song well – a rare trait in the case of such an alternative style.
The rest of the album undoubtedly delivers, and nowhere will you find musical replicas or anything in-genuine. On the contrary, Voltanas sticks to his creative guns at all times. That voice drives through his ideas and his poetic wonderings on life and the world in a mighty way. This is defiantly one of the most fresh and original sounding artists to emerge in recent years. The sound is a little like if Tom Waits was to join a contemporary, progressive rock or metal band, only that still doesn’t quite cover it. Refreshingly creative songwriting is a big selling point.
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