From their inception in late 2012, Thirty Three Connection have been garnering a fine reputation for their engaging live presence and melodically charged songs: with the joint release of the singles ‘Heart in the Clouds’ and ‘Time and Time Again’, Andrew Brannen (drums/vocals) and Stephen Gillon (piano/vocals) look set to enhance this reputation to no end.
‘Heart in the Clouds’ begins with Gillon’s piano chords offering a warm and instantly inviting sound to the listener, while Brannen punctuates the spaces with fine drum and cymbal work.
From here, staccato chords and rapid high-hat touches provide drama, which lyrically, seems to turn toward the political, especially in the independence referencing lines “18/9/2014, we had the chance of an alternate routine”.
‘Time and Time Again’ doesn’t stray too far from the road travelled on ‘Heart in the Clouds’; however that’s not to say they are strictly derivative of each other.
Brannen’s pinpoint rhythms take centre stage before Gillon’s cascading chords come to the fore, lending a sweeping range.
Lyrically, the song explores themes of identity, while searching for motives in the choices we take, warning “judgement is waiting”.
The tempo does tend to drag at times, however the “time and time again” vocal hook and sing-a-long choruses are infectious enough to add buoyancy.
What strikes most about these releases, however, is the sense of a young band that have already mastered the fundamentals of classic song-craft, and who can only get better from here.
Words: Brendan Sloan
Rave Child 