Did Out at Sea just deliver us an acoustic pop anthem with their new single “Maybe You Know Better”?

Out to Sea, a London-based band, recently released their new acoustic anthem, a ballad that is just beaming with the possibility to become a viral hit, I can already picture the masses of artists that are going to be covering this song on Instagram and Tiktok.

The track begins with a slow but resonating riser, then transitions into acoustic guitar chords and a solitary vocal. From the opening lyrics, listeners are pulled into a world of disorientation, with what I believed at first to be themes of ADHD and the problem that plagues this generation of not being able to focus for too long on one thing. 

The opening sets up the song nicely, a ‘pretty’ sound that delivers the tone of the single. From this, it builds, with an addition of another vocal laid on top, a percussion added and at the end of this section, we get the hook. Now, this hook will undoubtedly and unquestionably get stuck in your head, similar to those tunes you hear on the radio, with that one sentence that you sing on repeat for hours on end, trust me, I was just singing along to it before writing this. By now the lyrical theme has expanded, with the concept of ADHD extending to inform you that there is something you didn’t quite comprehend, a theme of confusion now lingers. The track eventually swells, blossoming into this great chorus at the end, with lots of layers of vocals and other instrumentation added on, the songs ending impact is a lasting one. 

Although I immensely enjoyed the song, and can’t fault the poppy and sweet tone, I struggle slightly with the production, I find it to be so squeaky clean that it taints the character of the track, without blemishes or anything that makes it unique. Granted I tend to lean towards a different genre, and I can imagine this as more of a lo-fi song, with some occasional slip-ups and cracks to add a deeper character. However, it doesn’t take away from the message, melody and arrangement of the track, it’s just an opinion from someone who looks for the character within a song, not just what the production creates.

Overall, it is one of those songs that I don’t doubt will be a pop hit, and for my lovers of Alec Benjamin, “Maybe You Know Better” is the new bob that you can sing to in the kitchen with a wooden spoon, hum to in the shower or blast in your car!

Iestyn Williams

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Image: Maybe You Know Better Official Single Cover (PRESS)