Calling all fans of Walk the Moon, The Killers, Neon Trees, and 1980s Van Halen, your new band obsession has arrived. Smallpools is a four-person, American-based band who formed only two years ago back in 2013, but have already made big waves in the world of music. Their self-titled debut EP released via RCA Records in July 2013 received noteworthy recognition for songs such as ‘Mason Jar’, ‘Over & Over’, and ‘Dreaming’, which even charted as number one on The Hype Machine. Previously released as their fifth official studio recording, ‘Killer Whales’ is also found on their newest album Lovetap, released on March 20th, 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYWqy_5q6w
In this track lead singer Sean Scalon comes to us with a deeper, fuller tone than previously exhibited. The synth pop/ alternative rock sounds mixing in with dance-like beats once again proves that Smallpools are more than capable of producing catchy music.
But how does a band come up with a song such as ‘Killer Whales’ out of the blue? The band claims that the song is the result of an angry email over how Killer Whales are kept in small pools, but upon deeper analysis it seems safe to say that the song could also be the result of a break up. The pre-chorus/ chorus sings, “You called to say… Can you live with my mistakes?/ ‘Cause you are the one they spoke about / I never believed I’d make it out / You weren’t around for quite a while / Were you saving all the killer whales?” Shortly after the narrator shouts, “Save, save, save!”, but is this chant directed at the selfless act of saving killer whales or a failed relationship?Towards the end of the track the lyrics read, “I am afraid I was made to be able to fall apart / And disconnect like so / I keep my chest locked tight till the minute you come around / How did you reach my soul?”, signifying the soul-searching, self-analysis phase of a break up.
On the surface ‘Killer Whales’ is a happy song you can sing and dance along to all summer, however underneath is a deep cry for closure that each of us romantics has endured. All in all, ‘Killer Whales’ is yet another one of the band’s stories captured in a song. Well done Smallpools.
Words By Sophie V.