The Criticals Drop Vintage-Flavored "Treat Ya Better"
Alt-rock embellished with disco dance vibes.
Meet The Criticals, premiering their latest single, "Treat Ya Better," on Popdust.
Based in Nashville, TN, The Criticals were formed last year by Parker Forbes and Cole Shugart. Since then, the band has dropped a series of captivating singles, including the vibrant "Kate Moss," released at the beginning of July. Along with headlining the FreezeFest and Spudbash festivals in Nashville, The Criticals have performed in L.A., San Diego, and Chattanooga.
The foundation of "Treat Ya Better" was written by Brandon Kelly, the band's engineer, who then passed it on to Forbes and Shugart, who polished the song into a contagious dance-flavored rock track. The track blends classic Rolling Stones style rock with tinctures of '70s disco. Forbes' rich vocals infuse the lyrics with tasty inflections. Radiant background harmonies carry the melody along smoothly. Then, a pulsating rhythm rides a pounding kick drum and bass line, topped by Shugart's spangled guitar riffs, creating dual layers of coloration, one deep and weighty, the other full of glimmering surface hues.
"Seven months he hasn't been home / I wrote him in a letter / Heaven called and left us this tone / He's got to treat ya better / But my baby sang / Oh, oh, oh, oh oh / He's got to treat ya better / I said where did our love go / She don't wanna know."