Riding the wave of an electro-pop backdrop, Tanner Parker delivers an unusual melody-line by means of a heavily effected vocal that helps create a fairly original new song. Mad Love has the building blocks of a soulful or seductive pop ballad in some ways, flickers RnB emerge in the outer layers, and the hook sees the music step back a little to lay bare a simple change in direction.
There are a few things about this track that give it character – the vocal sound is one, that unpredictable melody is another. Even during the latter half, the music brings in an organic guitar sound that helps fuse a little more world-music into the moment. The beat falls away and subsequently re-gathers momentum before an equally unexpected drop. At this point, the track explodes into a downpour of multi-layered synths and notes. The fullness here is overwhelming, whatever delicacy there was before is replaced by sheer energy, vibrancy and volume. A few simple chords and a descending riff are all it takes, and from an artistic perspective – this outro could be said to quite effectively represent the height of this concept, of mad love itself.
The second time you hear the song there’s a little more familiarity to it, you’ve acclimatized to the progression, and on this occasion it’s much easier to appreciate the reflective nature of the lyrics and the dream-like evolution of the melody. The song is far more satisfying with each new listen, and that originality soon becomes an absolute selling point.
Combining personal honesty and depth of thought in an endearing fashion, with experimental soundscape building, Tanner Parker has crafted something fresh and free from the confines of industry expectations or genre rules. An interesting release and it will be worth seeing what else comes through in the near future.
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