Single review by Vince Leigh

Wasting no time being cool.

Since forming in November 2020, Muesli has wasted no time. Quickly, establishing a writing, recording, and gigging cycle, they have performed alongside local and national acts such as Ruben Styles (Peking Duck & Y.O.G.A), Rum Jungle, Tim Rogers, and Local Bands Archie, Kirkland and Koebi Faumui. 

The group’s debut release, Hello Out There, was voted 2022 Independent Debut Single of the Year at the MAMAs and was licensed by Visit Canberra to score Canberra’s spring national marketing campaign. 

A funk-tinged bass solo!!

Tonight is the band’s fifth single release and perhaps its most resolute sounding and adventurous. Although such self-assuredness might seem at odds with taking risks, Tonight manages to tick quite a few boxes that prove otherwise, and help firm up their hybridised style. 

The funk-tinged melodic approach featured on their previous songs is intact, as is the amiable intimacy of the vocal performances and the playfulness of the instrumentation. 

But what differentiates this new one is the prominence of the bass guitar. 

Not only does it introduce the song, but we’re exposed to a prolonged version of it in the form of a solo, which follows a second chorus. 

Yes, that’s right, a bass solo. 

These don’t come by very often in a pop song, if at all, yet the rhythmic tendencies highlighted on Tonight prove to be a suitable platform for such a thing. Fear not, though; this is no prog rock indulgence. These deeper, spotlighted tones are wedged between a smooth and relatively expansive chorus. Add to this a chant-like hook, which not only reels us in but acts as a dynamic counterpoint to the preceding verses. 

The prior mentioned solo acts in much the same way a tastefully extended guitar break might, relying on agreeable patterns and steadily building anticipation—with the aid of other instrumentation—for the chorus outs. 

Tonight denotes more than just a reaffirmation of Muesli’s style but an exuberant willingness to reveal its progressive, evolving nature. 

You can hear this track on Spotify , Apple Music and triple j Unearthed