Single & Video Review: Acid Rain

Thomston has been rather absent from the public eye lately but decided to surprise us by releasing a new single and video for Acid Rain. 

The single cover art has somewhat a very retro feel, thanks to the clothing choices of a metallic button up with cream pants used in the image. The image depicts Thomston falling from the sky, which is a literal translation of the opening lyrics “When you fell from the sky we all stopped and stood outside to wash our clothes, but baby, we got soaked”. Not a flat-standard image, it looks as though it has been hit by acid rain, with chemicals melting portions of the image; a reference to the title of the track.

Starting out, it is more of an acoustic track; composed of a few repeated, simple guitar plucks throughout the whole track. This minimal use of instruments really pushes his voice to the forefront and the choir-like vocals that come in, boosts the effects of the vocals even further. Thomston really does have an extraordinary voice. Acid Rain appears to be about reflection and moving on, lyrically, and receives the change in beat in the second half of the track really gives Acid Rain power. Letting go is the principal theme being pushed and there is a sense of freedom that comes with it. The track flows so well – it’s so simple, and yet, so complete.

With the release of the single, Thomston also released a video, which reflects the track and cover art well. There’s a sense of nature and freedom in the video, especially with use of vast land and sky shots, which provide a sense of clarity. The location makes the ground look like water, but it’s clearly not; more like salt in appearance and texture. The defining aspect of the video is the shaky hand-shot snippets incorporated amongst the more high-definition professional shots. Giving the song a more personal touch, as if Thomston was sharing a home video with the viewer. This video seems simple at first, but with the way in which Thomston sings and incorporates a range of different shots, it also packs a lot of emotion into it. It is a beautifully crafted piece of work.

I highly recommend listening to this track whilst watching the video first. If you can’t, then definitely give the track a listen anyway. It is such a good track and whether we hear from him again soon or not, I’m sure the wait will be worth every minute of it.

★★★★★ (5 stars)

_{Review written by Shelley Te Haara}