The Q-Tip Bandits have today released their new single titled ‘Better Place’, from their first full-length LP Melancholy Flowers, which is set to be released on June 10th, 2022.
I love a band that naturally has that full sound, and that is the first thing I hear in The Q-Tip Bandits. Add that penchant for original songwriting and you have a genre-hopping juggernaut. With ‘A Better Place’, we hear a slow build to a better song with accents of funk and jam-band over a solid and varied rhythm section. Powerful in the beat and angelic in the hook, The Q-Tip Bandits are honing an already signature sound with each and every song and offer ‘Better Place’ as a gateway drug for their upcoming album.
Check out our other features with The Q-Tip Bandits HERE.
About ‘Better Place’
This new track ‘Better Place’ guitarist and other vocalist Leo Son. The style of The Q-Tip Bandits combines breezy indie pop in the style of current artists like Hippo Campus or The Greeting Committee with a trumpet & trombone horn section to create a smooth yet powerful sound backed by the raw energy of rock and the coolness and colors of R&B and funk — with palpable grooves coated with savory, soul-inspired riffs, anthemic horns and meaningful lyrics.
While sticking true to the sonically euphoric tone of the band’s lead single from April, “Daisy”, new single “Better Place” acts as a bittersweet homage to a friendship. The new single speaks to the comfort and stability that two people can bring to one another, being each other’s escape from life’s stresses. Speaking to the lyrical inspiration behind “Better Place”, Claire writes “The music of ‘Better Place’ began as a mumbled voice memo of a melody, recorded through tears from behind the wheel waiting in my high school best friend’s driveway. This was a friend that had been through everything with me, we shared everything, did everything together, and there was truly nothing that wasn’t made better by having her by my side. As childhood friendships often do, our relationship drifted as the years went on, separated by distance and time.”
“Although “Better Place” began as an apology letter, mourning a shift in the fabric of the relationship that once was, it grew into an homage to an incredibly special connection that will always be. In the times that we feel lonely, scared, and isolated, even in a room full of people, having a person there to guide you and walk with you through the dark is worth the whole world. Better Place is about not only finding that someone, but being that someone for someone else, something that I believe we all have the power to be. There is truly no greater feeling in my opinion, than being someone’s better place. The initial inspiration for the lyrics of the song came from The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, and it wasn’t until after the completion of the song that I realized “Better Place” was my own equivalent of a tiny book of tiny stories, with little memories wrapped into each stanza, tiny glimpses into different points in the plot line of a beautiful friendship.”
While being a little more laid back than lead single “Daisy”, “Better Place” further solidifies The Q-Tip Bandits’ unique realm within the indie pop world, with Hoyt Parquet (Trombone) Maclin Tucker (Trumpet) and drummer Dakota Maykrantz once again demonstrating how their presence helps bring a much needed sense of energy and propulsion to these otherwise dreamy and atmospheric indie pop tunes. By marrying an uplifting, soulful-indie pop vibe with deep, introspective lyrics, the group shows off their songwriting talent without sacrificing the rhythm and the sense of joyful creativity that runs throughout their music. You might not initially clock the influence of The Red Hot Chili Peppers in the The Q-Tip Bandits, but the band members cite them as a sort of spiritual inspiration, something that becomes more obvious when you see the carefree energy and enthusiasm they bring to all of their live performances.
About The Q-Tip Bandits
Since their inception in early 2018, The Q-Tip Bandits have emerged into the Boston music scene as an energetic and vibrant act that continues to touch audience’s hearts while getting them up on their feet. Described as “an indie-pop delight” by The Deli Mag, their debut single “Willow” made waves across the Atlantic, reaching 50,000 streams on Spotify within the first 3 weeks of release and garnering enough momentum for the band to record their debut EP, Ain’t It Great. It was met with great enthusiasm, despite being released amidst a global pandemic, and was called “a must add to your summer playlist” by The Courier.
After a summer of outdoor touring in 2021 — including shows opening for pop-funk powerhouses Ripe and Los Elk — “Willow” broke 1 million streams, and the band was nominated for “Best New Artist” by the Boston Music Awards. After their most successful year as a band to date, The Q-TIp Bandits returned to the studio in 2021 to record their first full-length LP Melancholy Flowers, which is set to be released on June 10th, 2022.
Featured image by Alissa Wyle.
LINKS:
https://theqtipbandits.com
https://www.facebook.com/theqtipbandits
https://www.instagram.com/theqtipbandits
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheQTipBandits
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4cypjcb9E3VaUYB7S9NBWX
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-q-tip-bandits/1457423695
