Sydney band Toy Saints have just released their debut single, ‘You Would Know’, an energetic and grungy track reminiscent of many a 90s alt-rock hit. Evoking the likes of Third Eye Blind, Fastball and Everclear in their sound, Toy Saints capture a sense of nostalgia with ‘You Would Know’, while simultaneously serving up something fresh and exciting with such a modern take on the style. The result is comparable to the sounds of bands like TOWNS, LOSER, Basement or Title Fight.
Recently rebranding from their previous project name of Elliott Road, Toy Saints are stepping into this new era with a bang, and the new track executes so beautifully its role of introducing the band to the world in all their shiny new glory.
The soundscape of ‘You Would Know’ is characterised by a stunning combination of silvery, angelic backing vocals as well as gritty, chanting ones, growling guitars, heavy percussion and a whole lot of head-banging energy.
Thematically, the single is defined by its own self-consciousness– the lyrics drip with anxiety, and there is a sense of uncertainty in everything the narrator thinks and speaks: “Ventured so far / but so little to show”, “I had a thought / And now it’s gone”.
The choral backing vocals, in that case, which repeat the words “You would know” over and over again as a chanting response to the narrator, double down on the anxiety, bringing in an outside source to worsen the inner tensions.
“You Would Know was one of the first demos written for the new incarnation of Toy Saints. We were playing around with new tunings and getting new inspiration from heavier artists. This song is really all about the details. It feels simple when you listen to it but when you break it there’s more to it. Little time signature changes and stops and starts. We never really picked apart this track too much because it was strong from its inception.” TOY SAINTS