skinsNbones “There’s Reason”

One of Rock’s greatest abilities is that it is always shifting with the times. While it may not be as prominent these days as rap and pop music, you can still count on Rock to have some voices that truthfully reflect the modern age we live in. With Australian indie rock group skinsNbones newest release “There’s Reason”, they’ve decidedly felt the pulse of the unease many of us have felt this year after 2020’s various ups and downs to deliver a soaring anthem of inspiration.

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We live in very cynical times and I often find it very easy to write off music as this as being “cotton candy songs”. Songs that don’t really have a lot of substance, can be a little cloying or overly sensitive, but hey, even cotton candy has a time and place. Luckily “There’s Reason” doesn’t fit into that category, mainly because its minimalist lyrics mixed with its maximalist instrumentals, more than creates a rousing listening experience. Sometimes in a genre like Rock, it can be hard to feel as though you’ve found something fresh, and skinsNbones resolves to that issue to focus less about generating a sound that one would consider “new”, but mixing and remixing sounds and elements we’re naturally familiar with and pairing it with lyrical content transforming it into something fresh. For some especially non rock listeners, there may be a slight dissonance, but that feeling dissipates quickly.

On a production level the whole affair is incredibly well crafted. You get the sense every cymbal crash and guitar strum has been planned with deliberate care, and its reflected in the songs immediate easy going and inviting nature. The song is certainly a mood piece, something to play on a long car ride or blasted through headphones on a walk or a late night listening session. The song instantly calls imagery of a journey, one with strife and possibilities and skinsNbones doesn’t say that it’ll be easy, but moving forward and finding purpose is much more rewarding than staying cynical. This song serves as a somewhat sequel to their earlier 2020 release “Is There Meaning”, and while I think that song is a little more interesting on a deconstructive layer, “There’s Reason” is nothing to scoff at. I guess my biggest complaint would really boil down to the mixing on the track is a little shoddy. It’s never unlistenable and to some they might not even feel this way, but I found myself having a hard time deciphering lyrics as the backing instrumental, the guitars specifically sometimes drown out vocalists Jason Kafoa gruff but enjoyable singing.

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The song for some may run a little too long, but a welcome guitar solo in the middle of the song does allow it some breathing room before coming to the finish line. I’m very excited to see how skinsNbones will continue to refine themselves and their sounds, and what other modern topics they’d wanna address in a weary world, but if this track is any indicator, they’ll bring a much needed dose of levity to these troubling times.

Michael Rand