Born in the summer of this year itself, ‘Gentle Organisms’ is a project fronted by Michael Kelley .With a range from influences that stem from grunge artists like the Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana to more modern alternative groups like Coldplay, the debut ‘Just because it’s all in my head doesn’t mean it’s not real’ is a touching alternative rock album. It’s deeply emotional, a record that discusses the most personal of feelings — those that we all deem to be unique but are in fact quite universally ubiquitous. Although a relatively nascent project, ‘Gentle Organisms’ shows immense promise on this debut project. Scheduled to hit the stage in September this year, it’s well worth checking out this first entry in what I hope will be a series of introspective, emotive, and warm pieces of indie rock.
Musically, the album definitely falls into that radio-friendly alternative genre. Coldplay’s influence, while not obvious, resonates from the emotion and ease of listening that the album exudes. On ‘Take 2’, Gentle Organisms instantly made a fan out of me. With a fuzzy guitar riff that sounds straight out of an early 2000s coming of age movie, Michael’s reassuring vocals glide over the production singing ‘Take 2, wouldn’t be half as good’. Heartbreak, love, and getting back — set to the tone of an uplifting indie rock anthem.
‘MID-TWENTIES ‘N’ MAD’ is about as targeted a track as you could imagine. It’s also undeniably too relatable to forget. The vocal harmonies of the ‘oh my god’ section on this piece make it an all round ball to hear. It’s angry and resentful, but Michael doesn’t sing it with venom. Instead, he’s almost singing as if he’s forcing himself to be calm and understanding. Both ’30 MPH’ and ‘New Recording 94’ are essentially unfinished and raw excerpts, short sound byte tracks that Michael recorded on his phone. The penultimate piece, ‘Sometimes My Body’ is more solemn than the rest of the album, Michael’s falsetto here is simply superb. The song’s about panic attacks, that overwhelming strain and anxiousness is described down to the actual physical feeling. ‘I feel the panic, I feel the fear.’
‘So What’ is a real tear-jerker. It’s an ideal closer — soft and understated, but uplifting. The vocal effects here add an extra layer to the experience. The serenading electric guitar that perks its ear slowly through the track gives the song its emotion before coming to a rather abrupt fade out.
Gentle Organisms’ debut is the sign of a songwriter with far more talent than his experience would suggest. I hope that Michael, alongside his drummer Graham Bechler, continue to innovate more and more, because this style of radio-friendly emotive alternative rock music is precisely the kind that can captivate the hearts and ears of many. Well worth your time.