Review: Confidence Man - Feels Like A Different Thing


Review: Confidence Man - Feels Like A Different Thing

I thought I was done with the songs I needed to review for February. I clearly missed something, and I realized what when I was recommended Confidence Man, the Australian band's Feels Like A Different Thing.

This is how dance-pop should sound. Big, brash, and unapologetically euphoric. On paper, Feels Like A Different Thing does not sound like something I would enjoy. Deep House keys have been overused to death as of late, and choirs are rarely used in a proper way. However, Feels Like A Different Thing drives its beats straight from the '90s. '90s house rave is a sound that has not been used for a while but still lacks the originality to stand out on its own. Nonetheless, vocalist Janet totally commits to the sound, her voice recalling dance jams such as Pump up the Jam.

Thankfully, Feels Like A Different Thing does not just take the genre and let it rot in a corner. The song is big and feels like an adventure in the wild open Australian outback. The best songs take you to a new world to explore and experience, letting you know their landscape and land. From its first moment, Feels Like A Different Thing does exactly this. Occasionally synths and productional flourishes play a big part when it comes to expanding the repeated melody.

Of course, Feels Like A Different Thing would be nowhere if it was not for the chorus. Taking the Eurodance power-beat, the chorus explodes in a choir's chant of the central refrain. Instantly adventurous and expansive, Feels Like A Different Thing's chorus takes no prisoners, with its full dramatic power. From the dramatically extended choir ad-libs to the call-and-response adventurous call-to-action, few choruses over the past few years have had this level of impact.

The end result is not only one of the most fantastic refrains this year, but a powerful centerpiece worth keeping the track on repeat for ages. The overtly '90s middle eight might overdo things just a little, but the fantastic climax, turning all the elements up to eleven more than makes up for that. Few dance tracks this year have been as powerful Feels Like A Different Thing, and fewer as instant.

Rating: 9/10


Image Source: AAA Back Stage

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