“Venetian Rubber Boots” is the latest release from Finnish outfit Tom Tikka & The Missing Hubcaps. Being the world traveler and creative artist that Tom is, he felt inspired to write this song when he saw people neck-deep in the waters of Venice.
The song mixes many elements from many different genres. There is an intro with some clean guitars and woodwinds that give off a very ethnic and outdoor vibe. It’s like this song was written to allude to the premise of nature and being out in the wild, and to have this feeling just by listening to the first few seconds of the song was just….chef’s kiss.
The moment Tom’s vocals kick in the mood leans more towards blues and jazz with his thick chest register and the dark timbre of his voice. Whenever you hear him you get those chills down your spine and goosebumps across your skin. The laid-back approach he takes for the verses is a little different from that of the chorus. In a very smooth transition, the vocals become louder and clearer and the keyboard becomes more prominent signaling the start of that wonderful chorus. Another amazing element I have to give credit to here is the amazing backing vocals, which add greatly to the image and the lyrics about unity and taking action against what we deem unfair around us.
There is a very bluesy/rock n roll-ish guitar solo followed by a bridge section that lets all the instruments shine. I really love how the rhythmic elements behind that lead solo were done justice in the production, making them all even without having to favor one of them over the other. Kudos to whoever produced this amazing track, just as the heartfelt and mesmerizing songwriting that Tom Tikka did it’s this mixing and mastering that allow this track to be the definitive version of the hard work behind it. I recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a creative yet modern and fresh rock tune that’s not like everything else you hear on the radio.
