David Simmons Releases New Single-Video

A recording artist of any true credibility can never go wrong in setting the bar as high for themselves as they can, and when you’re someone as focused in the studio as David Simmons tends to be, being ambitious with your work turns out far more often than not.

You don’t have to be an expert on his work to know that he’s a player who doesn’t mind utilizing rhythm as the master expresser more than his words, we’ve witnessed Simmons become quite the diversified composer in singles like his all-new release this December, “Traffic Disruptor.” There’s a case to be made that this is a singer/songwriter who deserves to be a little cocky about what he does; in a work that has as much to offer as “Traffic Disruptor,” this player shows us that there’s nothing but humble melodicism to be enjoyed when he has the creative space to spread his wings in or outside of the studio. One part pop and another part soft rock of a slightly Celtic variety, this is a track that pushes aesthetical boundaries but definitively relies on its talented singer to give it emotional context.

The beat here has a lot of kick, and it’s not all percussion and pop-driven pomp. The swaggering backdrop lends a stylish mellow groove to the song that instantly makes the lyrics sound a bit more inviting and less depressed by the linguistic narrative than they would have on their own, and with these sleek harmonies to give them a little extra varnish, Simmons can sound fabulous without being overindulgent with his voice.

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-ohubgzsY

He cares a lot about efficiency, and anyone who has ever listened to his discography has to agree with me on that; that said, he doesn’t lean on a minimalist element as a way to compensate for the space where excess would usually be worked into the mix. This is what soft rock can sound like when the performer isn’t restricted in what they can do with their vocal harmonies and the rhythm that spikes the hook, and it’s something I could get used to as a music journalist.

I’ve honestly been a fan of what David Simmons does as a musician for a little while now, and he’s making it harder to deny his importance to the underground with material like this making headlines in 2023. His work has thus far provided audiences with what = is an immersive listening experience for anyone who loves the polar opposite of black-and-white melodic songcraft, but it doesn’t require its audience to be hardcore indie connoisseurs to get into its deeper aesthetics. Simmons is one of the most focused and honest lyricists you’re going to hear in his scene these days, and it’s because of his relationship with the music that he’s able to get away with making these jams sound intimate from behind the walls of the studio. His are a set of skills that are not easy to develop, and we’re getting the best of their efforts here.

Anne Hollister

Anne Hollister

We do music reviews for Independent Artists and Publicists.