Byron Bay singer, ukulele-strummer and drummer Bobby Alu delivers smooth harmonies, Pacific rhythms, and island grooves. Though it’s not all palm trees and daydreams – there’s a robust energy in Alu’s mastery of Samoan log drums, and songwriting that nods to world, roots and pop intelligence. Other Side is a nice that bops to a [+]
Byron Bay singer, ukulele-strummer and drummer Bobby Alu delivers smooth harmonies, Pacific rhythms, and island grooves. Though it’s not all palm trees and daydreams – there’s a robust energy in Alu’s mastery of Samoan log drums, and songwriting that nods to world, roots and pop intelligence. Other Side is a nice that bops to a steady beat with elements of the surf/beach life-sound with a similar feel to fellow beach and surf lifestyle musical king Pete Murray that bops along to a nice pop groove on a fairly fast tempo. It's light and catchy but with enough of a serious message and decent songwriting backbone to give it weight and substance. It is nicely written with a nice hook into the plaintive, breezy chorus. Thematically, Other Side is about that classic pop theme of escape, where the "other side" is that place where you escape and leave the bad stuff behind, and Alu details that process, oaints that picture with some quite arresting lyrics that help boost the song's gentle but plaintive plea for escape from the drudgery of day-to-day life or bad situations into places and a life of freedom, personal fulfiment and meaning. You can certainly hear and feel the vibrant alfresco nightlife of Byron Bay and the NSW Northern beaches in Alu's music and ethos, being a haven for alternative music and lifestyles amongst beautiful, expansive and pristine beaches. [...]
