By Aidan Oakley
If you asked me 5 years ago what I thought of the new song by Kygo and Kodaline, I’d have looked at you like you asked me how to drive to the sun. Partially because I had no idea who Kygo or Kodaline were, and partially because they play very different styles of music with Kygo producing mainly house tracks and Kodaline having more of an indie and folk sound. However, in the new song ‘Raging’ the two mix brilliantly.
The first 30 seconds or so sounding just like a regular Kodaline song, with elements of Kygo’s contributions slowly seeping in then suddenly bursting out- flowing from a more typical indie sound to a very different but strangely fitting urban vibe. The two elements of the song flow back and forth throughout, shifting from the foot tapping feel of Kodaline to the outright dance-like-a-pleb energy of Kygo. It’s only been in recent times that songs like Raging could exist, as indie music grows it allows for more genre’s to be included and create more variety in the genre. Electronic indie bands such as MGMT and The Postal Service are examples of the brilliance that can be uncovered by merging different sounds.
Raging is evocative of both performers and their respective sounds, the thumping drums and deep bass a signature of Kygo’s sound mixed smoothly with the melodic intricacies ( and vocals of course) provided by Kodaline. If you were to ask me, I’d say that Raging is a massive step in the right direction for indie music, opening the door to more mainstream artists and allowing for a massive range of sounds to be incorporated into the genre we all know and love.
It is extremely fitting for Fifa to have included it on their FIFA17 soundtrack. I have often spoke about the soundtrack offering a huge platform to more upcoming acts that have featured on the playlist. However, I like to think of an exception for this track. Instead of being a huge platform for the artists, it is more for the creative mix of genres.
