Izzy T’s newest effort, “Nuclear,” combines the head-banging, guitar-heavy rock of the Black Keys and AWOLNATION, with an unforgiving attitude and vocals that scream “Shania Twain!” From the first distorted guitar chord to the last, the track doesn’t let off the gas, pumping enough energy to fill a whole crowd, despite chugging along at a relatively slow pace. While the feature was underwhelming for me, the song still packs a punch worthy to be played at arenas everywhere.
It’s not a surprise that one of Izzy T’s most popular tracks is a cover of Miley Cyrus’s recent “Midnight Sky,” because much like the world famous artist’s recent work, “Nuclear” fuses the harsh and heavy, electronic-aided guitars from 2020’s “hard rock,” with many pop—and even hip-hop—trends. Coming down like thundering hammers, each guitar chord is heavy enough to crush a car, but slow enough to not be overwhelming. In fact, the almost laid-back tempo reminded me of an intense hip-hop beat, which made sense, as soon as Ben Hunter’s lyrics kicked in.
Though Izzy’s attitude and powerful voice rock this track on all sides, Hunter’s entrance threatens to derail both the energy and flow of this entire song. The beginning of the verse comes with a break in its instrumental in an attempt to bring the additional artist to the front of the track, but instead, it neuters the most important part—the cheer-inspiring guitars and ruthlessness. And while there’s nothing wrong with the technical aspect of his verse, the lyricism doesn’t bring much to the table, which makes sense considering the lyrics haven’t truly highlighted til this point in my opinion. So, with a shift in focus, it’s an unwelcome change that comes a little too late.
But in the face of its main issue, the track still exemplifies the suffocating, loud environment of any sports game or concert. It has all the basics of a great, modern rock track, and should be celebrated for it. I just wish they stuck to their strengths from beginning to end.
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Hunting It Down 