Catchy, memorable and difficult not to press repeat!
‘El Greco‘ is the second single from Scottish trio Errant Boy. The group consists of drummer Sarah McLaren, Chris Harvie on guitar, and Sean Ormsby on bass and vocals. The upbeat tune is the band’s first release in 2023 and also the first since 2021. Their other track is ‘The Poisoned Word‘ and it has a similar sound to this newer track but is still unique in its own right.
The title ‘El Greco‘ tells a story of its own. This was the nickname of a greek painter, architect and sculptor. His work features heavily throughout the history of the Spanish Renaissance. This was a period of time that focused on the ties between political and religious views. Specifically, it is grounded in the monarchy of that time, the catholic monarchs primarily. This track’s title of ‘El Greco‘ is very fitting for the lyrics contained within and the topics it surrounds.
Like the title suggests, this song takes us on a journey of discovery within ourselves, particularly of our religious and spiritual beliefs. “If anything could make me believe” and “if anything could make me pray” are lyrics that suggests this. The instruments are loud but not overpowering at all, allowing for clear vocals to shine through. This makes it very easy to pick up on what Ormsby is singing. This also makes it easy to quickly catch on with repeated lyrics like “will I believe when it’s time to leave?“. This lyric itself can be interpreted different ways. “Time to leave” could possibly imply death but also could imply the end of a chapter in your life, or the end of an era.
On the first listen, I was pleasantly surprised to be met with a song infused with the familiar sound of fellow Scots, Franz Ferdinand. The vocals from Ormsby mixes the more modern sound of Franz Ferdinand with a nostalgic twist of Bowie. While the track is relatively short at 2:23, there is a lot to take in lyrically and musically. It’s catchy and very memorable sound makes it difficult not to press repeat on this track.