RINSE – Not Too Late Review

Hey everyone!

Josh Hollingworth, Rich Hewitt, Josh Hassall and Ollie McNicholas are an indie quartet from Stoke-on-Trent that go by the name RINSE. RINSE released their latest track Not Too Late on Saturday 13^th February after receiving the ‘Best Record’ Award for their track ‘Jude Law’ just the previous night. Not Too Late is even bigger and better, so I thought I’d give it a review:

The track starts with a spine tingling guitar riff which I’d like to say is Placebo influenced, followed beautifully by a fast-paced drum beat that builds anticipation for the next set of riffs. The intro is really atmospheric and captivates your imagination; the second the intro kicks in, close your eyes and you’ll probably see yourself dancing around The Sugarmill or The Underground (other gig venues are available, of course).

The music video really reflects this vibe as it includes little snippets of gigs the lads have played, and of their following enjoying themselves at said gigs! The sound of RINSE’s music is really raw, and it’s lovely that the camera work is authentic and mirrors their sound. A lot of the video footage is just the band hanging out doing ordinary things, being typical lads. I think it’s brilliant that the band members are captured as ‘lads lads’ in the video, as it allows their personalities to really shine through. Because the video was recorded by RINSE (and friends) it provides an honest insight into their personal lives and proves the fact that they are just four young lads from Stoke working damn hard to be where they are and doing what they’re doing.

Josh comes in singing the verse with an expressive voice that holds a lot of emotion; it’s really quite haunting, giving me goose-bumps and making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! The lyrics are simple, and include a lot of repetition – it gives some quality marketable value to the track because it is memorable and people are able to sing along to it at gigs regardless of whether or not they had the pleasure of listening to it prior! Moreover, the lyrics are quite ambiguous, so it allows me, as a listener, to interpret the lyrics in my own way, allowing people to become emotionally invested in the song. I’d like to say that the sound of this track can be described as Placebo meets The Editors which is brilliant and something that the industry needs more of! RINSE are definitely setting themselves up for big things!

The instrumental sections are definitely a highlight for me; the guitar work is absolutely stunning – left me speechless the first time I listened to the track if I’m honest! It’s smooth and very nicely composed with its varied note range which creates an ethereal atmosphere. The thunderous drumming that accompanies it is incredibly complimentary and as we move into the verse the bass provides a really nice subtle texture to the track.

I can’t wait to hear more music from RINSE, Not Too Late is a truly gorgeous track with a lot of heart behind it and Josh’s vocals are spot on. Really well done with the track release and for the award at the Music Awards of Staffordshire and Cheshire – I’m sure everyone will agree that it is very well deserved!

Listen to Not Too Late here on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rinseuk/rinse-not-too-late

And watch the music video here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ruiuf883J0

Thanks for reading!

Bethan xx