Our Tribe – Devon born and Guildford based – are back with another belter. The only way I can describe ‘Festival of Perspectives’ is the pang nostalgia that overwhelms you 10 minutes after arriving home from a festival. That knot in your stomach as you throw your tent back in the garage. This track is a scrapbook of all those emotions, stuck in with pritt stick, the photo album to look back on in years to come.

Our tribe are self-confessed, “advocates of self-love and acceptance, creating a safe space for the unheard youth”. Speaking for a generation riddled with anxiety and pressures never seen before, a summer festival can seem like the only real release. The event of the year. This track is the chance to be obsessively nostalgic, reminiscing on a weekend that may (in the case of Toma and Olly) have changed your life. The Our Tribe boys had the time of their life, and for three minutes, so did we.

Opening with the brooding guitar riff, it’s a gloomy, downbeat, looping over and over, the festival’s gone from day into night. Dusk is falling. The groove is both ominous, but still calming compared to what it’s accompanying. The aggressive Slowthai-esk vocals seem more intense with the quirky guitar noodling underneath, they pull off an atmosphere reminiscent of the Gorillaz’s self-titled.

However, it lacks the Albarn definition and solidness. The anxious shuffling of the drum machine feels like they’re holding back. The drop really isn’t the same as I remember from past gigs, but I guess that rings true for the festival experience as a whole. Looking back with rose-tinted glasses isn’t a dangerous game, as much as it is tedious. The kid who won’t stop going on about his ‘gap year’. It was always going to be a bold concept to create a song built entirely on the reading fest feeling, but being this explicit and blunt about the subject matter actually brings much-needed vigour to the track. They don’t beat around the bush. They know who they’re talking to, and I’m sure they can just about remember what they’re talking about. A festival is as much a summer of love, three-day party haze as it is messy, muddy and a blur of wet wipes.

Our Tribe

Our tribe are an eclectic duo, wearing their influences proudly on their sleeve, their John Martyn X the streets crossover on their last release ‘Loss’, is refreshing, probably my favourite single from them.‘Festival of perspectives’ is meant to be light-hearted, but could come off as spoofy. In stark contrast to the themes of ‘Loss’, which gave the track (and the band) the weight and respect it deserved. It’s hard to believe these singles were made by the same guys.

But overall, this track just feels disjointed. There’s only so many drops, breakdowns and vocal samples you can use till it feels equally as frantic as it is empty. The chorus, usually accompanied by the sound of moshing teens high on dark fruits, is simply lacklustre when put on Spotify.

They are definitely a live band, watching the two perform is mesmerising. Their own excitement is as infectious as their choruses. From their very first gig, they formed a loyal fan base that not only digs the music, but loves their ethos. They are unashamed to push the boundaries and are definitely ones to watch. I can see Our Tribe crafting an album in the same vein as RYC by Mura Masa, a complete collage of genres, eras and interludes. A passion project rather than an album, although, I doubt Our Tribe would need all the features! These boys pull off so many styles, with their choice of riffs but also vocally, they really are the men of a thousand voices. Speaking for the unheard and vulnerable, I believe they have the ability, dedication and technical ability, to personify every single one of their stories.

Check out ‘Festival of Perspectives’ and their other three singles on all major streaming sites, and keep up to date on all their socials, links to all platforms – https://linktr.ee/ourtribetheband