Capitol AffairMedicate (Single)

A great philosopher once said that the dose maketh the poison; too much of a good thing can harm you.

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That’s the theme running through Medicate, the latest single from Sydney pop-rock upstarts Capitol Affair. It’s hard to be by yourself sometimes; amid lockdowns and uncertainty, more than ever.

Beginning a cappella with a bell-clear tenor from frontman Jarrad, we’re led by hand with a pound of the drums and a trill of guitar into a colourful, melodic world of the boys’ creation. They don’t even bore us to get to the chorus, the hooks popping up like whack-a-moles all in the first third of the track.

In scary times sometimes a song can get us through it, and Medicate could very well be that ray of sun in a sky of endless grey.

Talking to Hysteria last week before their premiere, the band said they were influenced by UK pop duo Go West and their 1990 chart-topper King of Wishful Thinking. Like that track, Medicate’s rhythm is sparse, percussion forms the backbone, with Jarrad’s voice fleshing out the rest. For the vibe, think Paramore on After Laughter; a slight revival of feel-good yet serious 90s singer-songwriter pop.

Returning to a booming chorus and chunky riffs, Jarrad’s call and return plus the motif “Now in this misery/I’m not who I used to be” sticks to your brain like bubblegum under a desk; wander into your old classroom ten years later and you’ll probably find it’s still there. In scary times sometimes a song can get us through it, and Medicate could very well be that ray of sun in a sky of endless grey.

STICK THIS NEXT TO: Neck Deep, The Maine, Paramore