If a new James Bond film ever calls for a punk-pinched indie psych surf rock single, NikNeuro Music’s Underneath the Skin is there for the taking, although when the chorus hits, it could lead to the world’s first cinema mosh pit. The track wastes no time locking into its espionage aesthetic, setting the tone with an intro that instantly places you in a spy-surf fever dream.
After that opening, NikNeuro Music leans fully into anthemically, organically hook-rich vocals, giving the track its riotous air. The delivery surges with a melodic urgency that feeds directly into the rhythmic backbone. The rhythm section rolls listeners straight into exhilaration. When the momentum peaks in the choruses, tightening the grip of the perennial punk earworm
Imagine Chris Cornell fronting My Chemical Romance as they lend their razor-sharp songwriting to espionage cinema aesthetics, while borrowing a few of the shadows from The Rasmus, and you’ll get a sense of what NikNeuro Music delivered with Underneath the Skin. The lyricism stays cerebral throughout, threading themes of identity, empathy, and the hidden tensions within people, while the sonics remain unapologetically frenetic.
That push and pull between thoughtfulness and sheer sonic force gives the track its bite. If you’re often fraught with curiosity and confusion while trying to make sense of the rest of the human race, the resonance within this hit will hit hard.
Underneath the Skin is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast