The Wheel Workers Releases “S.O.S.”

Startlingly familiar, at least in tone, to the serious music enthusiast and yet completely fresh and original in concept where it counts the most, the vocal harmony we find in The Wheel Workers’ “S.O.S.” is the cornerstone of the single and its companion video’s charm. Perhaps even more defined here than it needed to be, given the context, this harmony contributes to the flow of the song in more ways than one, catalyzing the catharsis in the verses whilst pushing the groove forward at the same time. It’s been a long time since I’ve said so, but this is one experimental track that you won’t want to miss out on this season.

The music video for “S.O.S.” is hardly the standard-issue fodder that a lot of us would associate with the term. Instead, it’s a visually engaging spectacle of freeing imagery that maximizes the lustiness of the melodies even more than the lyrics do on their own, inviting us toward a surrealism that is tantalizing, to say the least. To say that it’s difficult to put this kind of a spin on a track as boldly designed as this one would be too great an understatement to make, and while The Wheel Workers aren’t changing the world here, they’re demonstrating some phenomenal skill just the same.

Both the video and the single itself are very well-produced and the result of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but I wouldn’t say that they feel commercially structured at all.

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMV-rvristg

Aside from the fact that they’re incredibly accessible, this pair of releases from The Wheel Workers aches with an honest sense of duty towards the audience that you just can’t find on the mainstream side of the dial. There’s some genuine heart in this song, which makes it being so experimental all the more impressive from my perspective.

I would have given the percussion just a little more space in the master mix here, but outside of that there isn’t anything I’d specifically change about the construction of “S.O.S..” This is a fluid take, relying more on the rhythm of the music than any of the actual textured elements that comprise the physicality of the melodies. The Wheel Workers might not have been trying to do as much, but I don’t think there is any disputing whether or not they impart a big piece of themselves to the listener in their paying homage to the music of a simpler time in alternative pop/rock.

Though I’ve always said that you can’t be too careful when it comes to crossover songs, if there’s one track out there that’s guaranteed fresh this fall, it’s The Wheel Workers’ “S.O.S..” Whether it be the melodic thrust of the single or the stirring and provocatively cut visuals that connect to make the music video, “S.O.S.” hits all the right notes in a season that has been desperate for some optimistic content. I like this look for The Wheel Workers and ultimately would love to see more material like it in the future.

Anne Hollister

Anne Hollister

We do music reviews for Independent Artists and Publicists.