Canadian newcomer Boniface, real name Micah Visser, is establishing why he’s the one to watch with new track ‘Wake Me Back Up’.
Upon listening to the opening bars, the 5/4 rhythm that Boniface employs certainly disorients the listener. And it seems as though Boniface is disoriented, too as he speaks of ‘“trying to readjust”. This song is powerful and explosive, utilising all the best parts of the reverb-heavy 80s era that Boniface draws upon. It’s essentially FOMO in a song.
The musician describes the song as, “feeling you’re on the brink of something significant”. Lyrically, the song fluctuates too much between states of loneliness and love for tension to properly develop - the chorus, for instance, pleads for someone to “wake me back up, take me back home, we’re not in love, don’t go, don’t go”.
The particular aesthetic Boniface is trying to achieve compliments the sense of power and breadth that the song’s content encapsulates. The guitar riffs are supported by Blaenavon’s Ben Gregory, who uses the guitar to extend the grand nature of the song. Admittedly, Gregory feels underutilised with his guitar skills, being limited to playing simple rhythms and notes. Nevertheless, the juxtaposition between Boniface’s soft vocals and the atmospheric background of the song creates a banger that’s prime material for festivals.
Catch Boniface supporting Circa Waves at the following dates:
OCTOBER
21 - Amsterdam, Melkweg
23 - Brussels, Botanique
24 - Paris, La Maroquinerie
25 - Zurich, Mascotte
27 - Hamburg, Molotow
29 - Munich, Hansa 39
30 - Berlin, Musik & Frieden
