Photo courtesy of Billboard
Story by Enrique Geronimo / Contributing Writer
Two Feet is a one-man band who has merged several sounds and genres together to create a new style of sound. Bill Dess is the man behind the curtain, and he stays behind the curtain often. Originally from New York, Dess has now toured all over the continental U.S.
“A 20 Something F**K” is Two Feet’s third project and his largest to date at eight tracks. He has released two EPs that were four tracks each, but they weren’t nearly as cohesive as this one.
The album starts off slowly with an almost haunting piano part leading up to a sample of a voicemail of a girl talking. She says she knows they tried to fix things, but it’s probably best if they stay apart, which really set the mood of the album. Her voice trails off with a delay effect, and then the second track hits you. “You Say” immediately sticks out with a blazing guitar part as soon as the song begins, quickly followed by heavy bass frequencies and laid-back drums. The first lyrics of the album are “I think that I’m falling down / you say that I’m crazy now.” You can feel the emotion Dess has put into these tracks, especially when you hear the ghostly vocalizations drifting away in the background of the song.
The next track, “I Feel Like I’m Drowning,” is one of his hits that was released in 2017 and has now been certified gold in the United States by the RCIAA. When the song starts, it feels as if the ocean tide is bringing the song ashore with waves crashing in the background and a smooth, melodic guitar in the foreground. Dess sings the line “I feel like I’m drowning” as the beat drops behind him accompanied by his snappy but funky guitar riffing.
Two Feet’s guitar playing and production is in the spotlight on “Felt Like Playing Guitar and Not Singing,” which turns out to be a groovy, instrumental track. Sometimes singing isn’t necessary if you can make the guitar the focus of the song, which Two Feet executes perfectly. He has a signature sound that features a distorted, but smooth, tone with excellent production backing it.
“Hurt People” was a single released two months ago that makes a reappearance on this album, featuring Madison Love singing the hook. Love has a crisp voice with a poppy undertone, which is a great contrast to Two Feet’s grittiness. The song is about the toxicity of people who have been hurt, continuing the cycle and hurting others. Most of the album seems to have an introspectiveness to it, especially this song.
“Not A Radio Song” is one of the catchier-sounding songs on the album. The intro to the song is almost reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of “Hallelujah,” with a constantly moving finger-style guitar part and distant vocals that slowly come into focus. The song sounds like it could be a sort of turning point in the album.
“Back of my Mind” seems to be more of an uplifting and empowering song, almost like a backhanded slap to his ex-lover. While Two Feet may still have some emotions for her, “I feel alright when I don’t see ya, stay in the back of my mind” is a loud and clear message that he is doing fine without her.
The last track is “Same Old Song (S.O.S. Part 1),” and it sounds like Two Feet is doing some more thinking. It feels as if he is conflicted, possibly wanting to continue making quality music that has his sound but also contemplating if it sounds too similar to his other songs. The song feels heavy in a way with low, brassy bass tones, but it is soon ripped apart by Two Feet’s guitar playing. The album ends with rhythmic chords plucked and the lead guitar trailing off.
“A 20 Something F**K” is an impressive project with a large and unique sound. The longest track being just over three minutes leaves the listener wanting more. Two Feet has stated that the album is two parts, and the following part will be released next year around early summertime.
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