Don’t Skip
To Be Loved
Don't Skip is a pop duo from Holland, consisting of guitarist Serge Meulenberg and singer, songwriter, producer Harald Bruijstens. Their latest track, “To Be Loved” is their ninth single release in three years. The track is a collaboration with nettO who shares co-writing credit with Meulenberg and Bruijstens. It was produced by Bruijstens. We’re assuming that Netto is on lead vocals, here’s our review:
Nice soft start with a simple beat, ethereal pads and a beautiful riff on what must be a Strat with just the right amount of grease and vibrato. Great first eight bars! Lyrics drop in with a solid high tenor track, a comfortable melody and lyrics that most of us guys can relate to…. we screwed up, we know it, we were wrong, and we’d like to fix it. Very relatable!
Chorus drops in with a nice change of the chord progression, a descending melody and a slight reggae feel. The drum pattern gets muted quite a bit to keep the focus where it should be - on the hook. Solid eight bars there, then we’re right back into that beautiful riff with just the right amount of additional parts to pick up the intensity a bit.
Second verse is a bit stripped down compared to the first for the start of it, but they build it up nicely and do a great job of splicing in that great guitar tone between the vocal phrases. Drums that were present at the beginning of the first verse lay out in the first half of this verse. Second chorus is built a little stronger than the first which helps propel us into a nice bridge. Mix is solid and the bridge is a nice turn of events, keeping that reggae pulse and adding some new tones. Then we’re back into that great head riff again. Surprisingly, they end the track with a bit of a lyrical mystery and fade the song out on phrases that leave us curious if the issue is resolved. Love that - didn’t see that coming - anytime we can guess where the song is going to go we get bored, but we always like it when a surprise like this happens.
Don’t Skip has been racking up some solid streaming numbers, and this cut will certainly add to it. It’s a well written, well produced track that is easy on the ears. Make sure you scroll down to catch their socials and other tracks. Our favorites include Way Out and Keep Your Head Up. We look forward to what they’ll be doing next!
Check it out now!