It feels like Davie Simmons has been getting a lot of love from the indie music press this December, and with the new single “Traffic Disruptor,” it’s hard to argue against his being worthy of all the recent attention. Simmons’ honey-like harmonies have been one of the most highlighted features in his music, but as those who have already heard his previous recordings are more than aware of by now, his latest work has featured a much greater emphasis on pop conceptualism. “Traffic Disruptor” is a demonstration of excess partnered with meticulousness, and it’s one of my favorite tracks from this provocative musician.
This single’s bassline is a sly operator, but what it does to cultivate for the verses is significant enough to where I wouldn’t have turned up the volume on its presence just to make the bottom end here thicker. Simmons doesn’t need a lot of bass to strut like he’s in charge of the entire room; this percussion and the pouncing guitar element are enough for him to move with the implied beat. I like that there isn’t a lot of clutter in this mix as it makes it so much easier to appreciate the unforced melodicism in “Traffic Disruptor” as we would in a closer performance outside of the studio, which is where a player of this caliber always thrives more than anywhere else.
Traffic Distruptor
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He’s done some incredible work beside a traditional folk arrangement, but the string play in this single honestly feels like Davie Simmons’ most trusted ally from the beginning to the very end. His voice echoes the textured output of the guitar hauntingly like his singing is an extension of the harmony drawn out of the darkness that does so much to encapsulate the mood here. There’s no gap between the instrumentation and his vocals, and yet there isn’t a single part within this arrangement that doesn’t sound clearly defined in the track. Production quality is something that always impacts our ability to interpret a song, but when you’re dealing with someone putting as much of their heart into the music as this player is, it translates in a more simplistic setting much as it does a professional layout like this one.
As a music journalist, I respect the time that Davie Simmons takes putting his new music together, but as someone who loves impeccable adult pop concepts, I cannot wait to hear what he’s going to do next. He set a very different path with past releases, but I don’t think he’s diving too far away from the consistent artistry he’s offered us in previous efforts if for no other reason than his angle is ultimately the same here as it has been before. “Traffic Disruptor” clues us into an even deeper creative identity, and if it’s giving us some sort of insight into what kind of music we’re going to hear out of his camp next, his time in the press will not be fleeting in the least; truth be told, his fame has mad potential to keep growing from this point forward.
Clay Burton