A pop/rock outpouring of joie de vivre and youthful cheer, Ottawa’s catchy “Undercover” is the wet n’ wild rollercoaster you’ll be riding all year long.
for fans of The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines
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You can’t find me, I’ve been undercover since you lost me…
Cleveland’s Ottawa are indie rock legends in the making: Ushering in a new age of fully-charged energy and abandon, the band have a knack for crafting larger-than-life songs radiating with a passionate glow. An overwhelming pop/rock outpouring of joie de vivre and youthful cheer, Ottawa’s new single “Undercover” is the wet n’ wild rollercoaster you’ll be riding all year long.
So close to giving up
But there’s something in the water
Something in the water
Just want take me down
So close to giving in
But there’s something in the air tonight
Something in the air tonight
Just won’t let me fall
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Undercover,” Ottawa’s fourth single release of 2018. The four-piece of Dale DeLong (lead vocals), Tim Czajka (guitar), Jeremy Barnes (bass), and Will Hooper (guitars & backup vocals), Ottawa seamlessly blend rock and pop sensibilities into a dynamic chorus of electric emotion that hits home every time.
Their driving song “Strangers” indulges in the warmth of having an intimate connection with another, and wanting to bask in that sensation forever – despite its often fleeting nature. The pounding, darker guitar churns on “The Good Kind” offer a vessel for adolescent angst – that pent-up energy we build inside, that often has no place to go. The band’s most recent release, “No More Love Songs,” is an absolutely intoxicating with you/without you affair dancing in the emotional lime light.
Ottawa’s music is far from formulaic, but a few things remain constant in their recent string of singles: Namely, an effortless ability to get stuck in your head. With Ottawa, you’re almost guaranteed an infectiously catchy climax full of emotional strain and euphoric warmth; what’s so utterly amazing about this is how the band manages to sound fresh every time. “Undercover” is a fired-up anthem basking in the heat of the moment – that cherished place in time you never want to end:
You can’t find me
I’ve been undercover since you lost me
I found another when you watched me
Watched me disappear
“‘Undercover’ was a really fun song to write; to me, it gives off very positive and happy vibes,” Ottawa bassist Jeremy Barnes tells Atwood Magazine. “Living in Cleveland, I spend a lot of time hanging out on Lake Erie beaches and this song is tailor-made for a day on the lake with friends. A lot of our new material is a little dark so this one is a great change of pace…”
On making the song, Barnes recalls, “Will Hooper (guitar) came to practice one day with the main guitar riff and we all loved it. It has a bit of a pop-punk feel to it, which is not typical for us. Tim (guitar) and Will both layered some additional lead parts throughout the song that kept the same vibe going and even add a surf-rock element in some of the verses. We wrote the song almost a year before we ended up recording it so, naturally, it went through minor change over that time-frame… Dale’s (singer) vocals are very dynamic in this one. I love the simplicity of the verse with just the bass, drums and his mellow vocals chugging along. It makes it feel really special when the chorus kicks in with the loud guitars and Dale is wailing in his higher register.”
“Dale wrote the bridge melody in about 30 seconds once our producer, Matt Goldman, decided that the bridge needed a vocal part,” Barnes continues. “It felt like the part was already written somehow in the back of his mind and he just needed someone to coax it out of him.”
So close to giving up
But there’s something in the water
Something in the water
Just want take me down, Not now!
Exploding with the same dynamicism as Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” Ottawa’s “Undercover” is the perfect end-of-summer-song, shining with that unbridled yearning to stay in the belly of joy forever. A fiery anthem aching with breakout potential, “Undercover” is yet another indication that Ottawa are truly indie rock legends in the making, and artist we should all be watching with excitement and attention.
Stream Ottawa’s “Undercover” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Stream: “Undercover” – Ottawa
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