I am So Glad You Called Me: a review of the UK group By Devices. By Brent Chauvin 2020-01-05
If you didn’t get a chance to read the Newduereview music manifesto you can read it here. Now that you know how I will be talking about the music, let’s talk about By Devices.
I was approached by the group the day before new years eve. They asked me to do a music review for a new single they are releasing on January 15th. The fact that the band reached out to me means something. It shows that the group has hustle and gumption. They are making moves they know to be good for the band. I am glad you called me, otherwise this review wouldn’t exist and you wouldn’t be reading this.
This new due review is for everyone who interacts with the music world. It’s for music fans, professionals in the industry, and anyone else interested in music.
What will follow is a review of By Devices, what their songs could mean, their influences, a little bit of music history, the band themselves, and a look at their singles Glad you Called and Police the Police.
More Than One Meaning
For the longest time, I have been struggling with the concept of music attempting to regulate itself in the 21st century. Here we are now with a song that attempts to open that dialog. Music is growing exponentially. Remember file sharing? Who is in control of this growth now? Now that technology has seemed to plateaued who is in charge now?
If you want to get political, you can see that Police the Police fits into the geopolitical pressure around the world. The internet. Miss information. Privacy laws. The people in charge seem to have no one regulating them, or it least it seems that way. Who will police the police?
If we keep going with this you can also ask what do you immediately think about when you hear the world police? For me, it’s Sting, the musician who plays bass and sings for the UK group The Police.
By Devices delivers layers upon layers of hidden synchronous meaning embedded into the music. This is musical synchronicity, and I am not referring to the 1983 album of the same name by the Police.
Let’s look at the song Glad you Called. It was easy to use the song title within the text of this article. You can’t do that with certain songs. The song name itself is shareable in a pun like way. Very clever.
Glad you Called has a deeper meaning on top of the punny way you can reference the song. The singer Ced reflects that:
“Glad you called is about getting an opportunity that’s fallen to you at the wrong time and the struggle of having to accept that you may regret it in the future. It reminds me of the times when we had land-lines and no matter how desperate you needed to speak to someone or how important it was you spoke to them you had to wait till you saw them… That retro type feel… Both hope and a smidgen of sorrow.”
We made it pretty far without talking about the band itself, or the music. This is notable. By Devices has done much work to embed plenty of meaning in their music through their song titles.
Musical Influences
The best music groups are always made up of the influences of the past and present. They take what inspires them and they use their innate skill to craft something new with it.
The old music quote: good musicians borrow, great musicians steal is applicable here. You must first have a model for what you want to make, then use components of that model to guide you.
Bands like The Cure and The Smiths give By Devices their pedigree, and The Killers and Bloc Part create the context for group. The expert blend of old and new from By Devices is refreshing and fits into the diverse musical climate of 2020.
By Devices have used a multitude of musical influences to craft both Glad you Called Me and Police the Police. There is a distinct flavor of ’80s new wave in this music made with a contemporary mindset.
History Of New Wave
There was a moment in time during the late ’70s and early ’80s where music groups were mixing a punk sound with dance music. The dance music was usually borrowed elements of disco and reggae. This was called new wave.
Notable bands that used this formula were Talking Heads and The Police. A little bit of punk, a little bit of dance, use a pop tune song structure, and presto you had new wave music in the ’80s.
The above music quote rings true when you consider the development of new wave during that time. Great musicians steal the right components to make something new.
By Devices developed their songs with a strong musical pedigree. Someone like myself who is familiar with music history can relish in all these influences. It enhances my experience with their music.
On the other end of it, someone who may not be familiar with ’80s new wave will no doubt be struck by the energy of the music. The infectious rhythms of punk rock and dance music create the foundation for By Devices catchy guitar hooks and vocal melodies.
If you are not familiar with the music of the previous century there is a sense of comforting familiarity with these songs. It rocks you, yet there is an embed groove that makes you want to dance and singing along.
Experience Enhances The Music
How would someone hear By Devices music without having heard the original new wave music? How lucky you are to have this experience. You get to experience a rich history of music through the group.
As a listener, I can’t hear By Devices without also experiencing their influences. New listeners will have a more profound experience as they tap into music history along with the band. Some will become indoctrinated into the long-standing tradition of music history. For others, they will hear something else, something new yet familiar. This is the true power of music. You can listen to songs forever because you will always hear something different as time moves forward.
The Music
We have covered much of what the music is like by talking about the band’s influences. This somewhat covers the genre they fit into as well. We could say By Devices is retro new wave music. We should also consider that it is sometimes difficult to work with genre names due to their complexity. Music genres are mostly hybrids, each built from core genres like rock, jazz, blues, and much more.
We could say that By Devices is a rock band. It has a focus on guitar with vocals at the forefront of the music. This is the rock band format. Big guitars, big vocals. By Devices has both a great guitar sound and a strong vocal performance. The dance-punk rhythm is what helps defines these two songs as a revision of the new wave sound in a rock band setting.
Members Of By Devices
By Devices is a UK band from Birmingham. This is a very important fact for reasons of musical pedigree. The UK as a whole has always had a strong rock history, especially Birmingham. Know that By Devices comes from a place with incredible musical roots. Any group from the Birmingham Wikipedia article will have you in awe of the rich history that land carries.
By Devices is a five-piece group consisting of Ced on lead vocals, Jimmy on guitar, Matty on guitar and back up vocals, Dave who does bass and back up vocals, and Rob holding down the rhythm with the drums.
The size of the ensemble can tell you a lot about a group. Having two guitars can provide a lot of colour to the songs and create a variety of tone possibilities. The drums and bass can act as a unit while the guitars play off each other. The singer in a group like this can stand on top of the band and deliver a strong vocal performance. This is a powerful ensemble choice and their music is a direct result of it.
History and Accomplishments
By Devices formed 7 years ago in 2012. The group ended for personal reasons two years ago and has only recently reformed in January of 2019. The group submitted their original single Police the Police to the BBC. It created such a buzz they reformed in February to appear on an episode of Raw Sound TV. Soon after they re-record Police the Police at Magic Garden studios with Gavin Monaghan. Police the Police has gone on to reach over 1500 streams in 45 different countries on Spotify, an impressive achievement for a newly formed band.
The band’s second single Glad You Called was recorded also with Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden studios. The single is set for release on January 15th on all Major platforms: iTunes, Amazon Music, Apply Play, Deezer, and Spotify. On that day you will be able to experience the music on distrokid.
Where Can You Learn More
The big question now is where can I experience By Devices? The group is active on Facebook (mybydevices), Twitter (@bydevicesband), and Instagram (@by_devices). You can also reach them through their website at bydevices.com.
By Devices is most active on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to learn more about them you should contact them through those platforms.
If you live in the UK you can see By Devices on March 6th at the Victoria Birmingham. The promoter is Scroff of the Neck. Get the tickets here.
On April 25th they are performing in the Kingmaker Festival, the group’s first-ever music festival performance. This festival serves as a charity event for the Myton Hospice. The event will take place at the Coventry Empire. Tickets are on twitter @kingmakerfestival.
This is a big month for By Devices. Soon after the release of Glad You Called they will be filming the music video for the song and releasing it on their Youtube channel.
Coda
2020 is the decade where the world connects in profound ways. Know that I am here in Vancouver while By Devices begins to take the world by storm from Birmingham UK. There is no doubt that By Devices will have an exciting year in 2020.