If the previous single, Parasite, was my introduction to the sonic world of The Chris Ruben Band, Money, the new one, made me truly fall for it: sonic hook, line, and sinker. How could you not love a sound that takes rock’s drive and musical bravado, indies deft and dexterous musical lines, and pops sheer infectiousness and weaves them all through the same song?
Because that is what is happening here, Money might be a serious song, especially if you are, as most of us are, struggling to hold everything together financially, but it is also a fun place to be.
The song explodes right out of the gate and offers a raft of robust guitar rhythms. It then coats in infectious six-string hooks, swathes of chord-driven power, and shimmering electronica, spiralling anthemically upwards as it goes. And then, as the skittering drum patterns ricochet through the back of the song, the vocals reach for the stars.
What a great follow-up to the work done by the earlier single, and what a great song in its own right. Money proves that rock music doesn’t have to be full of cliches and bravado, that indie music needs to drop its cooler-than-thou attitude, and that pop music can be big and clever.