Music has the power to turn wrongs into rights. This is a life lesson that Australian musician Ivan Beecroft learned during his musical journey. He specializes in making retro rock and 90s grunge pop music. But getting to this point has not been a pretty process.
It has been a process of one too many dark moments involving his loved ones and insecurity about his own talent. For example, he endured appallingly unsafe work conditions in a dying industry as a steel worker. After witnessing a coworker get his hand damaged by a faulty machine, Beecroft grew more socially conscious.
On top of this, the challenges of finding and keeping safe, ongoing employment have given him empathy for those left behind in modern society.
Finding solace in indie music
As a way to cope with his struggles, Beecroft turned to music for comfort. Music gave him the freedom to express political messages fueled by anger but balanced out by simple melodies and upbeat rhythms. On the other hand, all of his music is not angry and melancholy. For example, being married to his teenage sweetheart has inspired more optimistic and loving songs.
Unfortunately, his musical journey almost ended when his bass player and close friend was severely injured while fighting off an attacker out to hurt a neighbor.
As a result, he was unable to play bass. Beecroft was so discouraged that he let go of music. But his wife helped turned things around after giving him a new guitar for his birthday two years later.
And this gave birth to his bittersweet single "Believe," which was released on March 6th. It is the first track from his upcoming album.
Beecroft even produced, mixed, and mastered the song.
A bittersweet tune
As for the vocals, he has a raspy, baritone voice. It resembles the singing of musicians Jim Morrison and Eddie Vedder. I'll admit that I thought the pairing of his moody singing with the bright, cheerful instrumentals was a bit odd upon hearing the song for the first time.
It sounds like they are on opposite ends of the music spectrum. But the pairing grew on me as I listened a few more times. It allows his voice to sound somewhat mellow.
As for the instrumentals, I'm impressed by how much he has contributed in this area. He plays the drums, bass, guitar, and piano/synths. They put me in a good mood thanks to their refreshing harmony. Yet what sticks out the most are the piano and drums.
As for the lyrics, they tell a story of Ups And Downs within a relationship. They convey the pleasure of togetherness and the pain of miscommunication between lovers, among others. With this in mind, the contrast of sounds between the vocals and instrumentals makes sense as this mirrors the lyrics.
Overall, I give the song a 9 out of 10 rating. Check out its music video down below:
You can watch more music videos for songs from his previous album titled Dirty Lies at his YouTube channel.
