REVIEW: Just A Little Broken by Pending
Pending, an English rock band hailing from Birmingham, are not what you might expect from a typical rock band. Pending’s new single Just A Little Broken provides the listener with so much more than a Led Zeppelin-esque lead guitar style and gutsy vocal performance. The single, at its core, is a soft ballad with emotional grit (reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah) and lyrical honesty that is refreshingly unique.
Pending, formed in July 2019, features vocalist Paul Barnes, guitarist Jamie Prew, bassist Morgan Whitebeam and drummer Martin Nicholson.
Just A Little Broken eases the listener in with Prew’s nostalgic, slightly gnarled lead guitar alluding to a Foo Fighters tone. Next, Barnes’ vocals glide into the mix; despite being a fairly new band, it all seems like second nature to Pending.
Barnes’ lyrics are the standout element of this track. Recounting a near-fatal, emotionally harrowing time, they present tenderness with no frills and no falsity. Barnes’ blatantly English vocal enhances the sincerity of the lyrics; his accent reminds the listener of Ryan Van McCann, only sweeter, lovelier, more trustworthy. McCann, of course, is Welsh rather than English but loyalty to accent is the similarity between he and Barnes; many British vocalists conform to predictable, inauthentic Americanisms in their performances. Barnes’ vibrato showcases a touching fragility that promises a powerhouse vocal lurking beneath. Just A Little Broken’s bridge section unleashes Barnes’ vocal agility as the single reaches its heart-wrenching climax.
Just A Little Broken’s sparse production is in keeping with the song’s reflective, pared-back mood. For example, intricate instrumentation and thick, layered effects would detract from the tearjerker lyric “the voices in my mind, yes, they disturb me… they’re telling me that I should end it all”. Whitebeam’s tasteful bassline provides warmth to such a chilling theme and Nicholson’s percussion is both complementary and quietly confident. Knowing when to hold back in order to put emphasis on a song’s defining traits (in this case, Barnes’ vocal and lyrics) is the hallmark of mature musicians destined for a long, substantial career.
Finely selected harmonies support the second verse and a melodic variation in the second chorus sends Just A Little Broken soaring into a swelling, all-consuming ether. During the verses and the hook, the listener is reminded stylistically of Stereophonics and Kings of Leon, whereas, in the bridge section, the muscular Led Zeppelin allusion rears its head again. The listener is sucked into the song’s hopelessly beautiful, “broken” vacuum.
Just A Little Broken has recently been featured on BIMM’s (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) “April Releases” playlist. The single is available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube (the links to which can be found below, along with Pending’s social media).
“I should change the lights inside my head,” Barnes laments at the beginning of Just A Little Broken. Well, these are the same lights that have produced a moving rock ballad that is both inspirational and unforgettable.
© Melissa Julianne Severn 2021
Listen to Just A Little Broken: https://open.spotify.com/album/7qJwvT6vtaYN1x1uJqv2o5?si=dQDZrbD9QxuQnueN2JmdXQ&nd=1
Pending's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pendingofficial/?ref=page_internal
Pending's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pending_music/
Pending's Twitter: https://twitter.com/pending_band
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