Single/Video Review: Black White Man

A few years ago I was at Dead Witch when someone came up to and introduced themselves as Lex, and that he was bassist in a band called Living State and would I like to hear their single? I agreed, but to be honest never expected to hear from him again as that is the usual course of affairs, but the next day I was sent a load of material including the video for One Sided.  I still love that song, the video is on my iPhone, and it rocked into my Top Ten for 2021, but it has taken until now for the follow-up. Now, I have seen them play live quite a few times since then, and have always come away impressed, but what would this song sound like from a studio environment as opposed to a gig?

Pretty damn fine is the answer to that. The band have a knack of creating great hooks in a commercial rock setting without ever losing any of the punch, which allows them to demonstrate great finesse. That comes across even more than normal in this number as there are some very quiet sections indeed, and this allows Marissa’s clear vocals to shine. Of course, it being in the studio she is able to harmonise with herself, and this also adds a nice touch. The song is about a middle manager which Marissa had the misfortune to once work for, and in the video we see the cruel boss (played altogether too well by Lex) putting so much work on the underling that he dies, then stays working the night as a zombie trying to get the task completed. One can hear and see the amount of work which has gone into this, as yet again Living State have produced something which is quite special.