Track Review: Time Traveller // My Friend The Chimpanzee
Formed by two long-time friends in 2018, My Friend The Chimpanzee draws together elements of dream-pop and contemporary pop in their unique sound. I should note that while the Austria-based duo has been around for approximately three years now it is only recently that they released music via Spotify, so they know what they’re doing without being complete newbies. I listen to numerous pop songs in a day, but Josef Umschaid and Lukas Weiser have definitely caught my attention with their obscurity and innovativeness. Not only is there a dreamy pop-ness to their music, but a mild inclusion of pop-rock lies within the melody. So, let’s take a look at My Friend The Chimpanzee with their debut single ‘Time Traveller’.
Produced in collaboration with Cohen Yusha, listening to ‘Time Traveller’ is like travelling along a steady sonic river surrounded by a hazy ambience. The melodic arrangement of guitars, drums and synths is enchanting, mildly intoxicating in fact; however, there is an anchor in Lukas’ warm vocals. One may consider this haze to be distracting, but the expert texturing and layering in ‘Time Traveller’ makes it easy to navigate as a listener. I am particularly impressed by the guitar solo ending the song leading you out with a simplistic finality.
Inspired by the novel The Time Machine by HG Wells, ‘Time Traveller’ adopts a conceptual theme touching on evolution, humanity and the theoretical movement of time. My Friend The Chimpanzee shares that “…in the novel, the time traveller discovers that humanity does not move towards an ultimate state but rather evolves erratically. The song ties to the human need for constant motion and contrasts with Hegel’s theory of historical finality”. Definitely a profound and intricate meaning behind a moving melody, do you not agree?
The first song off an album, ‘Time Traveller’ is a hard-hitting track without being too “in your face”. In fact, it isn’t “in your face” at all but is still able to grab your attention with its charm. I look forward to more from this talented duo.