Think of A Number is the first of a series of seven singles being released by This Little Badge, a project led by Dave Pope.
This song is an upbeat little number, based around the house lyrical phrase "think of a number", with the title line being repeated for the chorus.
The musical arrangement is solid, but with a sense of freedom at the breakdown into the middle eight.
It's a finger and toe tapping number, improving with repeated listens. The breakdown and solo section divert significantly from the initial and predominant structure, which breaks up the song well.
Being a bit of a word nerd, I'd have liked a bit more lyrical depth: i.e. why should the listener think of a number, what is the purpose?
That being said, it is a fine tune, and a great way to kick off New Zealand music month.
The background: “Music seems to be getting too po-faced and slow-paced, like it’s a case of ‘turn up, plug in and drop off’, so we’re trying to liven things up a bit with some boot-in-arse and tongue-in-cheek attitude. We’re aware - as is everyone else - that music generally covers the same subject matter, the familiar ‘old wine, new bottle’ routine, so we attempt to tell our stories from a different angle.
Are they hipsters: “When the occasion arises, we can be quipsters, tipsters, spicy dipsters, checkers-of-sundry-video-clipsters. But musically, we are definitely and always cut-the-crap-and-get-a-gripsters.”