The View, ‘Woman of the Year’ – Single Review ★★★★★

‘Woman of the Year’ by The View – Single Rating: 5/5 ★★★★★

This fantastic new track from The View is one of those that takes a few listens. But, once you have seen the accompanying video to ‘Woman of the Year’ it all makes sense. Compelling and from the heart. ‘WOTY’ is the fourth single from their sixth studio album ‘Exorcism of Youth’ coming on August 11^th. It willl be their first album LP since returning from an eight-year hiatus.

Class writing is permanent with this group. Also, it is fair to say that ‘WOTY’ has a case to be their strongest track since 2007’s ‘Same Jeans’. Moreover, the track starts off with an instant guitar hook and sound that Johnny Marr would be proud of. Lead singer and songwriter Kyle Falconer has always had a knack for catchy a melody (check out their 2007 debut ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’ for further proof) and this song is no different.

Youth

However, The View have adopted a cleaner, more polished sound than their earlier work. Moreover, now with double tracked vocals and a slicker/more hint of a nu-punk feel to the track. ‘WOTY’ and the forthcoming album is produced by none other than Youth who has pretty much worked with every top guitar-based band over the last 30 years. Reading his production credit CV is reading a who’s who of indie rock. From U2 to Jesus & Mary Chain and from The Verve to Macca (yes that one), Youth brings his magical production touch to ‘WOTY’.

As mentioned earlier though, it’s the video that brings this all together. Also, it proves that even these days a great video with a great song can be powerful and cut through the ‘Shorts’, ‘Reels’ and ‘Tik-Tok’ noise. The attention span to appreciate good art is growing ever narrower in this modern world and this work by the band and their wider team is an exception to the rule and makes a nice change. I defy anyone not to get a lump in their throat watching this one (especially if you are a parent). As a result, it’s why ‘WOTY’ is The View’s strongest work in nearly two decades.