The Pulltops’ latest release is an understated rock gem that oozes with a charisma that seems to bind the entire 80s British rock canon in a delicious 2 and a half minutes of killer grooves, tenacious guitar lines, meaty bass riffs, and some hearty singing.

The anthemic ‘Wide Awake’ is the latest release from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based duo The Pulltops. As my second foray into the music of The Pulltops after listening to ‘Stronger’ a couple of months back, and I’m glad to report that the duo is here again to deliver consistently brilliant songwriting, performances, and production. If anything, ‘Wide Awake’ is a step up in the songwriting department, this time utilizing a dynamic groove that totally controls the pace of the song, occasionally applying hard braking in delicious, surprising bars of half-tempo goodness. The riffs, courtesy of the bass, are once again thick, tough, and powerful. With a percussive, overdriven tone, and a pronounced placement in the mix, listening to the interplay between the bass and drums is tasteful enough on its own.

 The fresh sounding guitars play intricate, composed lines that walk hand in hand with the song’s deceptively straightforward arrangement. If you want a gauge of how sophisticated this piece of songwriting is, then pay attention to when the guitar plays single note riffs, when it goes to funky strums, and when it goes to an overdriven, saturating arpeggio, and how with each change, a complimenting section of the song ensues. Also pay attention to the haunting lead guitar section with its fulfilling tone full of reverb, overdrive, and heart-throbbing tremolo.

The wonderful ‘Wide Awake’ sounds like a fusion of Joy Division, Oasis, early Tindersticks, and early U2. A truly inspired piece of music from a rocking duo that ought to be on all our rock-loving radars.