It’s easy to fall for Two Cheers’ new song “Over My Shoulder.” Lush melodies and vibrant energies aside, who could help but fall for a passionate song about the bliss of falling deeper and deeper in love?
Over my shoulder, over my shoulder
I’m overwhelmed by you
Like brushstrokes of crying blue
I’m handing it over, handing it over
You’re filling in for me
So completely
Listen: “Over My Shoulder” – Two Cheers
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/325479566?secret_token=s-kOuJt” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Over My Shoulder,” the lead single off Two Cheers’ upcoming third album Rollick (independently out July 14th, 2017). Consisting of Bryan Akcasu, Megan Marcoux, Austin Lutzke, Owen Bickford, and Carlton White, Two Cheers proudly evoke a “hybrid of ’90s alternative and modern-day indie pop,” blending polished sound with raw emotion into an utterly transfixing aural experience.
“Over My Shoulder” is a love song to Bryan Akcasu’s wife: The frontman opens his eyes to the many ways in which she inspires him on the track, learning more and more about his relationship and its effect on his everyday life. “When I’m stuck on something or feeling unmotivated I can kind of channel her version of me, which I think is a better version of me, to keep going — keep being creative and productive,” he shares.
Akcasu opens the song in sheer infatuation, a fat bass line accompanying his impassioned speech. Keyboards jingle while guitars wait in the background, ready to pounce when the time is right.
You’re making no mistakes
I’m living through it
You build me up again
So I can do it
And though I never could repay you
You give and never take
I try to catch you
You glow inside my room
I want to match you
But nothing ever could replace you
The energy intensifies in the pre-chorus/chorus: Warm guitar riffs dazzle as the bass continues to drive the music forward, and atop it all is a feeling: Love. “Nothing ever could replace you,” sings Akcasu with all his heart. His dynamic vocal melodies genuinely reflect the invigorating power of his feelings: “Over My Shoulder” is the quintessential love song, yet this is so much more than a love song.
Two Cheers have truly raised the bar on their third album. “Compared to our last record, Splendor, there was more experimentation on this new one,” says Akcasu. “I wanted to make this record a kind of variety show, and test out a bunch of different styles, textures, and rhythms. A lot of the songs still started with jams, but there were five of us this time, so that added a new dimension to the songwriting process and helped introduce some new angles to our sound. That definitely resulted in more left-field musical ideas taking hold, and “Over My Shoulder” is the perfect example of that. As far as the lyrics go, when we started this record I wanted it to be about marriage, love, devotion, and a late 20-something sort of romance, but my grandmother and my mom died during the course of writing these songs, so that cast the whole record in a darker, mellower light and changed the direction of the whole thing half way through. On the other hand, “Over My Shoulder” is about as buoyant and hyper as we get!”
While it sounds like Two Cheers have much more in store, Rollick‘s lead single captures our hearts through dynamic releases and anthemic outbursts.
Over my shoulder, over my shoulder
I’m back-and-forth with you
To unfold the common view
Taking me over, taking me over
The focus and the sex
The riddle and the hex
Let me try to be
Closer to myself this time
Let me try to be
Closer to the real thing
When you’re really in love, you feel that love every second of every day. The longer it lasts, the deeper the feeling gets, embedding itself into your core and taking ahold of your mind, body, and soul. “Over My Shoulder” is a thrilling, pop-fueled acknowledgement of love’s tenacity and strength, an honest and authentic display of long-lasting passion and unbridled devotion.
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