On the heels of 2019’s Cape Town (hailed by The Alternative Feed as “All the best parts of mid-2000’s alt-rock… combined with a more updated, refined indie sound”), Western Michigan based group Pretoria is back with “Gently”, another slick indie-surf tune that rocks with a self-assured sense of fun.
This time, though, it’s tinged with a fair bit of 60s big-band flair – and even a bit of a Latin edge.
Introduced by the arpeggiated notes of a humming lead guitar lick, “Gently” arrives with a flourish that’s quickly joined by the snapping approval of Ben Dewitt’s hi-hat-driven drum work. Underneath the melody, smooth rhythm jazz chords lift the upbeats. The overall effect gives the song a swaying energy that waltzes throughout the track’s entirety.
Make no mistake: This is a song to dance to. It’s what happens when COIN meets a latin wedding band under globe lights in the summertime.
There are touches of 2019’s summer pop hit “Senorita” (Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello), but “Gently” is set apart from standard mainstream fare by its alternative authenticity. Rob Gullet’s lead vocals sound plaintively earnest, but he’s singing subtly ironic lyrics.
“So I’ll just have to keep on acting // As if it’s all right now,” sings Gullet, ending the song with a final repetition of the second line, “It’s all right,” as if in resolution. For the song’s narrator, accompanied throughout by parallel vocals at different registers, things clearly aren’t all right: This is a breakup song. It’s marked by cleverly delivered lines and deft turns of phrase, but the subject matter is still sad.
For listeners, though, things have never been better.
“Gently” is the perfect antidote to the approach of winter. It’s an acknowledgement of endings, it’s a step in a new artistic direction for the band, and it’s a reminder of the best parts of Pretoria all at once.
Most of all, though, it’s a ton of fun.