Aza Brown
Sticky Situations
Aza Brown is one of the more unique artists we’ve had the pleasure of coming across. He’s made a name for himself in the UK working with bands like The Dazy Age and The Chasers, and currently as the lead singer of The WonderWhys. His music can be acoustic, orchestral, psychedelic or straight pop. The diversity of his work is unlike most artists, and his writing is unique. When we first heard “Sticky Situations” (without reading up on him), we immediately thought of Jellyfish and The Beatles - lo and behold they were listed on his site as influences. We really dig this track and hope you’ll agree - here’s our review of “Sticky Situations.”
It’s an atmospheric and atonal start. And yes, that’s his cat in the background. The bass notes of the piano lead us in at 0:06 to a lush chord progression and instrumentation inside a mix that is stunning. It reminds us of the tones you’d get on Woodface by Crowded House, or The Eels. Really love the drum pattern - a bit military - with a gorgeous bass line that soothes and swirls through the chords underneath some of the prettiest guitar tones we’ve heard in a while. It’s ironic that he’s singing about finding himself in sticky situations all the time when the atmosphere is so warm and compelling. Judging a book by it’s cover you’d think by the title this would be a punk or agro track - but it’s utterly smooth.
After the first chorus we get another atonal / atmospheric / psychedelic break (perhaps this is where the pain of the situation lies?) before the piano pulls us back out into the second verse. The layers and nuances of vocals are exceptional. The lyrics are very specific and introspective. The addition of live strings and bells at the end adds a cathedral feel that you don’t expect.
The structure is as non-conformist as the instrumentation. The focus is the drone like melody that effectively portrays the emotion of running around in circles in your mind. Despite the lushness and weight of the track, it is an absolute toe-tapper. There’s so much to love about it. This is definitely one to listen to with your cans on, and then crack it through your monitors to make sure you get the full benefit of the mix. We could put 0:08 - 0:25 on repeat and just melt away - those 8 measures are some of the prettiest we’ve encountered in a long time. The talent it took to put this together is off the charts, and the meow is a great touch. ;)
For a free download of the track, make sure you click here!
Make sure you scroll down to catch his socials and check out the rest of his solo work. Judging by his bio, he’s been in the industry for quite some time - and even stepped away from it for a bit. Here’s hoping that the quality of this work get’s him the attention his talent deserves.