BOHMEN – ‘SEDATE’ Review

Words: Ruby Corrigan

Lovers of bands such as Inhaler, Catfish and the Bottlemen or Royal Blood need to listen to up and coming Manchester band BOHMEN’s most recent single ‘SEDATE’. 

Like many artists I get sent to review for the page, I will honestly tell you that before this release I had not heard of the band, however, after listening to this tune a few times, and subsequently listening to their other tracks, it is obvious that this group have something extremely special that deserves to be heard. 

For me, a good song doesn’t just equate to being good to listen to, a good song is defined by the experience it gives me on a whole: how does it make me feel? What vibe does it radiate? Where in my life have I experienced something that reminds me of this song? I even go so far as to question what season does it remind me of? With this in mind, I can definitely say that ‘SEDATE’ fits my definition of a good song. The track opens in a very upbeat and powerful manner, however it is softened by the crackling effects on the guitar which adds a bohemian sense of rugged beauty: the tune is rough around the edges but full of artistic flair and personality which, as someone who struggles with their sense of worth sometimes (like many others) made me feel extremely validated as, while life and people are messy, there is power and beauty everywhere. 

While the song is guaranteed to be a floor filler at gigs with its pulsing rhythm, it is at the same time extremely cinematic. In my opinion it is reminiscent of the feeling of walking home on a bitingly cold autumn evening and being overly aware of your surroundings. This is heightened by a plethora of intimidating, atmospheric lyrics such as ‘you can run but you cannot hide’, as well as their fantastic use of dynamics (an element that I would argue is often forgotten by other modern alternative bands). The soaring guitar chords that increase throughout the song and peak in the choruses paints an extremely vivid story in my mind – honestly, If you told me that a movie studio like A24 had picked up this tune to be on a soundtrack of a new thriller, I would not be surprised. 

With only three songs released on Spotify, BOHMEN is a type of band you want to get into ASAP before they get huge, and this song is the perfect starting point. 

Listen to the tune below!