Castells - Mr. Problematic

On Castells' edgy new single “Mr. Problematic.”

Castells capture the youthful effervescence encompassed in the trope of hanging your head out of a car window while singing at the top of your lungs – their deeply honest lyricism, delivered by charismatic front man Connor Crooks, draw you into vivid narratives reflected by the band’s prosody. However, their new release “Mr. Problematic” interrupts the happy-go-lucky anthemic streak with a more biting storyline.

With production starting in lockdown and finishing in just one day, the London-hailing indie rock four-piece claim the song “wrote itself.” The effortless flow of the single backs up their statement. A minimalistic drum and bass combination flourished with contextually aided sound effects create the cleverly subtle yet rousing space in which the vocals resonate, forcing you to digest the words. Each verse is broken up by a punchy climatic breakdown that demonstrates the band members’ instrumental intuition. While the song comes to an accented end, the feelings instilled linger in the subsequent silence. It feels like Castells could be hinting to an edgier era on the horizon, that I’m certain will be welcomed by fans old and new.

In order to avoid FOMO and the risk of showing everyone how uncool you are, stream “Mr. Problematic” on all platforms, along with their previous singles and EP. And if you’re extra cool, you can follow @/castellsofficial on social media to stay up to date with upcoming gigs and releases!