With a jolly and upbeat, and slightly manic vibe, You Give Us Hope is a song that’s odd in it’s composition, and very tongue in cheek in it’s delivery. Whilst it’s silliness is so eclectic and psychedelic with it’s delivery, you may find yourself feeling a little strange to begin with. But by the end you’ll be wanting to sing along with it’s infectious chorus of ‘You give us hope, you give us hope’.
There’s certainly a mixture of artistic style here, with the carnival like drums and fun house soundscape permeating every moment of the track. The unique quirk that The Madding Crowd has is far and away one of their greatest assets, using a jarring whispering at one point that mixes in with the lyrics to keep you on your toes.
Despite it being very much like an anthem you sing along with at a gig, it’s these little things that are thrown in that stop any thought of it being the same thing over and over for 4 minutes. For example, the back half of the track kicks into high gear and brings a wonderful assault of guitar and drums that punk is known for.
When you hear the term psychedelic-punk, this song may not be what your mind immediately goes to. But with that, The Madding Crowd subverts your expectations in such a wonderful way.
All in all, The Madding Crowd puts in a great show with a feel good anthem that rocks out where it counts and breaks the mould on any expectation you may have.
