NEW INDIE POP: SALUTE - THAT GIRL FEAT. GABRIELLE APLIN

The Fall is a great time to change gears in the musical world, and We Are: The Guard are ready to ditch those beach bopping grooves for some tracks with a little more grown-up sophistication. From Manchester, England, Salute is continuing his momentum with a collaboration with his countrywoman Gabrielle Aplin to produce their new song “That Girl.”

SALUTE - THAT GIRL FEAT. GABRIELLE APLIN

Salute, an up-and-coming electronic music producer from the the British Isles, teamed up with fellow Brit musician Gabrielle Aplin to create a synth-pop track called “That Girl.” As he is a part of the digital revolution, she is gaining credibility as an artist with folkish indie rock that embraces her guitar and piano. Though it seems like she might be out of her element, Aplin fits into Salute's creation rather seamlessly. Never once in the song does her vocals seem out of place. Seems more like a match made in heaven.

The song begins like a pleasant morning awakening, one with the aid of a digital bird chirp. At least “That Girl” emulates that feeling quite well. Then comes the sensible vocals of Aplin, which maintains a sense of stability while exuding soulfulness. The final part of the equation is the most critical one, as the light, minimalist synthesized beats try not to drown out the message of realization that the female protagonist of the song comes to. The feeling of chillness and of momentarily clarity comes together to produce a track that is calm, but not watered down. Still, deep within the layers of sounds is a sparse hint of dubstep-like beats roaming around Salute's composition like a specter from yesteryear. Even with a small taste of that sound, it brings me back to those nice days putting a Glitch Mob record on my portable record player, and meshing the digital with the analog. That is exactly what you get here. It's not a clashing of different worlds, but an merging of the styles.