Single Review: Worthy

Caleb, Chris and Laura are back with new recruit Nathan, and their latest single as The Wake Up: if there is any justice in the world here is a song which is going to be blasting out of radio stations all over Aotearoa for the next few months.

Written by fellow Palmerston North musician Adam Lee, Worthy hits so many sweet spots it is actually quite hard to know where to begin. Driven by the drums at the back, the guitars are a buzzsaw layering of sound, with a simple melody laid over that, and the breathy innocence of Laura sits nicely over the top of it all. Imagine a mix of Avril Lavigne, The Cranberries and The Bangles thrown together into an Eighties power pop punk mix with strong hooks and nuances which lift it away from the norm, and you may just get close to what these guys are all about.

There is a quiet section, we get “na na nah’s”, harmonies, treated vocals, what is there not to love? I’ve just played it half a dozen times on repeat and it makes me smile each and every time. This is fun Summer music which makes the listener want to bounce and singalong – it also stops on a dime, which leaves us wanting that little bit more so of course the only thing to do is play it again! Produced and mixed by Mike Dwyer (Shawn Mendes, The Lumineers, Vance Joy), he came across the band and asked if they could work together as he was so impressed, and anyone who hears this is surely going to feel exactly the same way. Based on this I am really looking forward to hearing an album from these guys.