Check out the engaging folk-rock of ‘The Waiting Room’ by Simon Bromide (also-known-as aka Simon Berridge), who may have come to your attention as frontman of the band Bromide. After six albums with the band, he is focusing on solo material and this song is the opening track from ‘Following the Moon’, Bromide’s forthcoming album, which is due for release on 19th November.
‘The Waiting Room’ takes its influences from pop, rock and folk and features jangling guitars, an upbeat rhythm and shimmering instrumental layers. Over the top, Berridge hooks us in with a confident vocal performance and absorbing melody. Berridge’s songwriting leans just far enough towards pop to make ‘The Waiting Room’ catchy and immediate without losing its acoustic roots. Although acoustic guitar is at the core, the additional instrumentation, particularly the electric guitar, and the backing vocals really make the song soar. It’s foot-tapping music, full of exuberance and charm.
Bromide says: “The song is about the things that didn’t happen for one reason or another. Simple twists of fate or just stepping back from the edge. In particular, the lyrics refer to a letter proposing marriage sent to my mother many years ago. The letter never arrived and the sender presumed the lack of a reply was his answer. Things were different back then. As it says in the song, ‘The Postal Service Saved My Life’.” It makes the perfect narrative for a song and it is brought to life quite beautifully by Ben Pollard who directed, shot, animated, modelled and edited the accompanying video. The plasticine-modelled characters, and their romance from across the railway tracks, are an absolute delight. Pollard’s attention to detail is quite exceptional; for example, it is worth pausing the video to see the destinations on the departure screen at the station. The animation is superb and fully reinforces the impact of the song. Enjoy.
