Innovate - Won't Give Up

Buy Won't Give Up on iTunes here

It was thanks to ace singer songwriter Gabe Lopez that new boyband du jour Innovate came onto my radar at all - but I'm mighty glad that they did. Aaron, Chris, Alex and Mark are the four lads that make up the group and seem to have this zest for performing that translates into enthusiastic and buoyant pop songs that you won't soon forget. Won't Give Up is one such song from the guys and blends early-Gaga style rave-esque dance with an infectious percolating rhythm that will have you twerking, daggering and/or slutdropping at the clubs until the early hours of the morning. It's actually nice to see a boyband fully embrace the art of dance - One Direction are all too busy searching for credibility whilst The Wanted are on an undetermined length break and God knows what's going on with Big Time Rush. There's a huge gap for an all male group to lead the way with radio friendly, club pulsing tunes and Innovate could well be that group. Lyrically, there is actually quite a sweet sentiment running through the narrative of the song - all about how the lads will fight for that special somebody despite the ups and downs that relationships inevitably face. The tenacity the boys sing of in the song is representative of the determination of the lads when it comes to ensuring they put everything into the song - and the crescendoing chorus with soaring vocals is the pinnacle of how euphoric & exhilarating the results actually are. Individually, all the blokes have strong voices but there is a certain thrill in hearing them layer these voices to provide a more textured harmony to the track. Add to this an invigorating video that has dance routines, party scenes, camp frippery, theatrical cabaret and costume changes galore & you've quite literally got the full boy band package all wrapped up in one song. The video (above) also serves to show off the guys personalities as well demonstrate that they are willing to let themselves go & let their freak flag fly. I'm hooked.

SUPERSTITIOUS COVER
Update: 31st October 2014 - well those Innovate boys are just the keeps on giving. The joy of finding a group that's already got an (albeit small) back catalogue is that it feels like a veritable riches of musical gifts when you're still immersed in catching up and something new comes along. Click on the heading above to view the lads 2014 Hallowe'en release - a cover of the Stevie Wonder classic Superstitious. Now the chaps might not know this, being based in the US and all, but X Factor UK is doing a fright night theme for the contestants this weekend and I think Innovate just negated any need to watch with this spot on cover, a nifty harmonious funk driven trick that will keep on treating long after the witchity weekend has passed. With a video that's straight out of an X Factor stage make up, the boys get into full voodoo make up and surround themselves with Wiccan sirens with painted on crow black masks to conceal their features & add to the ghoulish vibe. Everything from the spooky locales (those discarded mannequins could have their own American Horror Story storyline!), the creepy reveals of the boys and the ominous vibe of the caged ceiling lends to give the funk driven pop classic it's own nightmarish twist. Nothing scary about those vocals though and each of the blokes sounds utterly fine as they attack the song with gusto to give it a tangible energy. It's a win from start to finish - though I can't shake the image of that lass strolling through a cemetery with a pram and a baby doll head in her head. YEESHK!

STAY WITH ME COVER
(Note: for further proof of the lads ability to sing, check out their stripped back cover version of the Sam Smith ballad Stay With Me. Beautifully pure vocals seek out every ounce of angst and yearning in the song & deliver it with an earnest nuanced effect that's hard to resist. Once again the harmonies shine bright but the whole performance is entirely mesmerising. Not just a video either - all in white, they give a full performance that's as breathtaking as their singing. Essential).