Single Review: Wake Up

Kiwi artist, Gareth Thomas well known for his past endeavours with iconic New Zealand band Goodshirt, has released his latest single following on from My Dog on the upcoming 2021 album Bits. Wake Up is described as the “morning anthem for sleepyheads everywhere”. This is a unique song which captures Gareth’s experimental, colourful pixelated indie-pop perfectly and turns it into your early morning wake up call.

I would not call the visuals to this track complicated, rather digital avant-garde and mesmerizing in a simplistic psychedelic kind of way. The video which mimics the sequence of a soft light wake up call to a digital clock face, follows the flow of the song starting softly and climaxing in a bright orangey glow. I loved the addition of a digital cat.

Wake Up starts softly, much like an alarm and as the lyrics suggest perhaps the subject of this song is reluctant to leave the soft confines of slumber. As the track progresses, it gets gradually louder in a welcoming manner not in a harsh brain jarring beeping way.

This song is captivating, with gentle vocalism which matches the theme. A pleasant way to greet the day.