NEGATIVE BLISS - The Good Life (Track Premiere)

Written by: The Administrator

Welcome back, dear readers, to another track premiere! Pull up a chair, take off your boots. Get comfortable. Forget your worries. Stay a while.

​If the name Negative Bliss sounds familiar, it may be because we slumbering scribes refuse to shut up about them. Indeed, we're doing everything in our power to make sure you know what's up at all times. I reviewed their debut single a few weeks back, and now, after firmly establishing myself as a fanboy, we're
​honored to premiere their second single ahead of its release this Friday, March 29th. Entitled "The Good Life," this track demonstrates the band's right-out-of-the-gate willingness  to show a different side, a different sound.

As they are so new on the scene, a formal introduction feels in order. According to the band: "Negative Bliss formed when Jon--a drummer who had not played music in many years--put out an open call to find musicians and find a way back into music. A father of two small children, he hoped to find people with a similar passion for heavy music, a desire for camaraderie, and a shared understanding of middle-aged parenthood. He succeeded, and Negative Bliss was born. Formed in January 2023, the members of Negative Bliss quickly became close friends, and a tightly knit musical unit."

And here we are. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Give "The Good Life" a listen below, and, as always, we'll meet you on the other side!

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Sonically and stylistically, this track marks a departure from prior single "Sun Stain," a departure which is indeed kind of the point. Says the band: "Negative Bliss is a balancing act of blending the various heavy backgrounds of the four members into something crushing, melodic, and cathartic." As such, they have clearly embraced a fairly broad umbrella of aesthetics and inspirations. While shadows of the forceful vocals and cathartic heft I enjoyed from "Sun Stain" remain, "The Good Life" lightens the sludgy load and explores more post-metal/rock territory. Promo material describes it as an "ode to chaos," which I find quite fitting--there is a constant motion between warm emotive cleans, a vaguely blackened thrusting bite, and a borderline doomy sense of expansive melancholic gloom. It is somber yet angry, moody yet at times wonderfully buoyant. Given the potent blend of elements here, any associations aren't necessarily direct, but I am fondly reminded of some of the harsher tracks in the discography of Breaths. As it stands, "The Good Life" is more outwardly rugged and raw, but the overall emotional emphasis feels quite similar.

A track this reliant on catharsis lives and dies by its willingness to place raw emotion on full display, and here, the overall emotive weight of the music is strongly reflected in the lyrics. To quote the band one last time: lyrically, Negative Bliss has largely become a place for bleak yet uplifting emotional release, and coping with traumas." There are distinct moments in the runtime where tears legitimately feel like an appropriate response, and likewise some moments where a sense of serenity overrides the overall vibe.

The fact that the two tracks we've heard thusfar from Negative Bliss are so distinct is refreshing. I suspect some may wish for more direct continuity, but I sincerely enjoy the thrill of not entirely knowing what to expect. Anyways, that's enough talk. Give "The Good Life" a well-deserved listen. Throw the band a follow, let 'em know what you think. Let's collectively run those streams up!

​Negative Bliss - The Good Life will be released March 29th, 2024. It includes a remastered version of "Sun Stain," and you can snag that preorder here! 

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Negative Bliss can be found:
Website
Bandcamp