Describing themselves as “romantic and honest, gloomy and curious, melodic and melancholic”, Plastic Barricades is one of the more interesting indie-rock duos from the UK. Based between London and Paris, Dan Kert (vocals and guitar) and Paul Love (drums) are breeding their own type of 21st-century indie music. Inspired greatly by iconic bands like Oasis, Coldplay, Muse, Radiohead and Placebo, the gents have plans for a new LP to be released in autumn 2020. The latest addition to their repertoire is ‘Tunnel’.
As with many releases at the moment, ‘Tunnel’ was written and recorded in a backyard shed studio. The track was then mixed by Paul Love and mastered by Andy Baldwin at Metropolis Studios. In addition to being a superb track, the mixing and mastering afford ‘Tunnel’ the clarity to be magnificent. I would have said ‘extra superb’, but I don’t think that term actually exists.
Unlike most of their previous work, ‘Tunnel’ has a deeper sense of significance and maturity. I’m not saying songs like ‘One For The Road’ or ‘How Goldfish Grow’ are immature, but they are both pre-2020. In contrast, ‘Tunnel’ represents current life experience and a deeper awareness of making one’s way through a devastating tunnel. People say the light is better at the end of the tunnel, but the end of this ‘Tunnel’ is only depressing as it means the song is over.
If I were asked to describe Plastic Barricades new music, I would say they are an Oasis and Placebo fusion. The music released in 2020, including ‘Tunnel’, is far more distorted and spirited than the 2017’s Radiohead-esque Mechanics of Life. It is an intriguing sound and separates Plastic Barricades from their contemporaries.
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