New Let 'Em Riot Single - Automatic

Written By: Darwin Green
(Reviews Editor)

**Editor-in-chief's note: This song is bat-shit crazy good! Download it at once... Take it away, Darwin - JM

Download "Automatic"

Let ‘Em Riot paints music with both broad electronica strokes and precise dots and loops. In “Automatic,” Alan Oakes uses this to create a sense of dread and apathy, hearkening back to a darker side of 80s synth pop, a la Soft Cell or Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” without the silliness.

Indeed, the lyrics reflects a certain sense of despondency within Oakes. As a listener, everything within the song serves as a catharsis for the numb and disaffected. As that may be, however, it is certainly a beautiful catharsis of a song.

Let Em' Riot - "As It Should Be" - Free Single

Label: Self-Released
Rating: 3.5 Guns

Written By: Victoria Hill
(Urban/Pop Editor)

Let 'Em Riot's second single "As It Should Be" is a catchy electro-alternative song which reminds me of new wave synth rock from back in the day, but with a 2009 flavor.

Alan Oakes' voice is melodic as he sings about how things do not always end up the way you plan and how you wish for them to be the way they should be.

The breakdown in the middle of the song is a cool mix of synth, drum and piano. " As It Should Be" is a perfect yearning, romantic chill-out song by a promising artist.

Note: CWG will exclusively release every single by “Let ‘Em Riot” one by one every few weeks.

Let ‘Em Riot – Slip Away

Label: Self-Released
Rating: 4 Guns

Written By: Darwin Green

The music feels so upbeat that it could, at first or second listen, conceal the lyrics filled with angst, yearning, and futility. This being said, the lyrics possess the right balance of hope and vulnerable tenderness to corroborate the swelling emotions of the music. With just the right amount of autotune on the vocals to leave it interesting and palatable, the song remains grounded in pop hooks and structure though with a certain joyous, unabashed quirky touch. If self-conscious geekiness ever found a way to combine with the heights of modern romance, this song pulls it off without question. Indeed, three-quarters of the way through it almost turns from electro-synth pop to eighties anthem hair rock before returning to where it started, without pausing to apologize. And I don’t think it should.

Note: CWG will exclusively release every single by “Let ‘Em Riot” one by one every few weeks.

More info here

Like "Slip Away"? You might like: The Parallelograms, Timbaland, Postal Service