Track Review: Route 500 // A Horizon Awaits
After a few years in the music industry, Route 500 is breaking guidelines and restrictions with their debut single ‘A Horizon Awaits’. An independent project hailing from Brighton, UK, Route 500 embarks on a journey to regain the purity and freedom of musical creativity. Inspired by artists such as Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke and Big Thief, Route 500 breathes life into the contemporary rock scene.
“In an era of perfectionism, our premise with Route 500 is to go against that, something that has always held me back musically is trying too hard and expecting too much rather than making music feel alive…so we are jumping straight into that mantra with ‘A Horizon Awaits’.” – Route 500 on ‘A Horizon Awaits’
Touching on elements of addiction, ‘A Horizon Awaits’ uses lo-fi sounds to illustrate an individual’s struggle with alcoholism and the consequential dissociative states after relapsing. Encasing a simple guitar in a sheath of synths, Route 500 create a distorted and muffled sound in the track fitting so aptly with the poignant concept.
What I find intriguing is the clarity of the bold vocals enhancing a compassionate link to some degree of hopefulness. Highly emotional and endearing, Route 500’s debut single melds both heartening and painful content. Showcasing raw honesty and genuineness with an innovative combination of lyrics and sound, Route 500 is a breath of fresh dreamy air in this indifferent music industry.