A thunderous tom roll drumbeat pans through the stereo field and immediately Mismatch’s latest track, Burn has my attention. A few bars later, the full band comes in, fronted with a simple ostinato lead guitar line which gives a hint of what’s to come later in the track. The verse then strips back to bass and drums with a vocal delivered with attitude. All of this happens in the first 30 seconds of the song, it’s incredible to display so many different textures and dynamics in such a short time frame.
The pre-chorus is short and sweet, bringing the energy back by reintroducing the guitars ahead of the harmonically simple yet powerful chorus. The vocal performance in the chorus portrays a lot of emotion, something that is challenging to do so convincingly. The second verse builds on the arrangement of the first verse, the layering here Is delicate, using space in the new layers to maintain the verse feel. To break things up a little bit after the second chorus is a breakdown section with chugged guitar and the subtle hint of piano offers something completely new to the song in terms of instrumental arrangement which makes for a really impactful bridge. The final chorus is further intensified with additional layering and offers a huge dynamic build up from the breakdown. I really enjoy the way Burn continually builds in intensity through the use of instrument layers, it demonstrates an incredible amount of creativity to have so many unique parts.
For a track that’s 4:32 (relatively long in this age of decreasing attention spans), it doesn’t feel like it drags on at any point. I’d be tempted to say that the verses are short however I don’t think that’s something that should have been done differently. Burn is the embodiment of Dave Grohl’s “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” rule. The song demonstrates impressive songwriting skill through its dynamics and varied textures throughout the whole song.
Mismatch is an indie pop-rock collaboration between guitarist Nishan Shrestha, and singer, Li. From songs that miss old friends and revel in new love, the duo combines dulcet melodies and a punchy groove to tell familiar, coming-of-age stories.
Vulnerable and resonate, Mismatch’s original compositions are wrapped with chipped nostalgia and a musical chemistry that sparked in high school. In 2020, they released their first self-titled EP, Mismatch, which introduced audiences to Li’s rich vocals and Shrestha’s clever multi-instrumental performances. Completely self-written and produced, popular tracks like, c’est la vie and bedhead showcase the duo’s well-crafted soundscape and colourful lyricism, as woodside rd and goat god reveal the band’s sense of grit.
With a refreshing charm, Mismatch continue to sing about growing up clumsy and caffeinated in Auckland.