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Tear Gas is a Melancholic Exploration of Disconnection Through Harmony

Tear Gas by SJS is an intense and bold alternative rock track with some jazz influences that elevate it beyond the sum of its parts. The track has a raw and candid sound, led by vocal harmonies that flesh out the melody from beginning to end.

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They provide a sense of unity to this apocalyptic soundscape. There is a feeling of connection in the weight of the melancholic composition. This is drawn out by the voices, exploring the melody in unison. Later in the track they fall into a call-and-response structure. This is an exciting and innovative change that keeps the listener on their toes while also giving the piece a conversational tone. The repetition of “though it’s not for want of trying” in response to the vocalist's accusations of false empathy highlights the challenges of communication in a relationship. The repetition feels like a partner reaching out and trying to get across an important theme to them whereas the vocalist poking holes in the empathy seems frustrated by the broken record repetition of their counterpart. That anger comes out in subtle ways. Instead of an explosive climax, the track falls into apathy as the voices drift apart and the composition becomes more distorted. Later in the track, the piano meanders around the melody more dramatically and the voices become fuzzy and manipulated with distortion. To me, this symbolises how the relationship and connection have drifted from the key parties in the song. It provides contrast to the clarity of the intro. Before this section, the piano and vocals felt like connecting elements, tethering the audience to the melody and narrative. These structural poles are stripped as the track concludes, implying the loss of that very same structure in the relationship at the core of the track. That connection between the narrative of the composition and the melodic structure shows the level of cohesion SJS has captured with Tear Gas.




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