“Underneath the ground we’ll be safe and warm / Underneath the ground far below the storm / We’ll hide in the dark and we’ll rise when the world is reborn.” These are some of the words Jeremy Rice sings in the new single “Underneath the Ground,” and they unmistakably channel the feel of a pandemic-era world waiting to come to life once more. The insularity of the harmony through which Rice delivers them only makes the feeling more intense, and outside of these verses comprising the chorus, there’s scarcely a patch where the tense atmosphere dissipates for even a moment’s time.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/fistoftakinawa/jeremy-rice-underneath-the
Outside of the lyrical content here, the instrumentation is absolutely just as affectionate in style and tone. Rice has never really been one to go stingy with the melodic faceting of a single, and in this sense, “Underneath the Ground” is by no means a break from tradition – instead, it’s an affirmation. We know what to expect from this guy at this point, and by playing to consistency while still moving forward to strengthen and evolve his sound, he puts himself in a category well above most of the amateur players he’s dealing with in his region.
If you love carefree pop/rock that doesn’t take a lot of brain power to fall head over heels for, Jeremy Rice is your man. “Underneath the Ground” feels like an appropriate product of early 2020s culture all things considered, but despite the fact that it might not age well on the other side of Rice’s discography, I think it has the potential to be a foundational track for the next chapter in his career moving forward. He has all the skill in the world to make this kind of sound work for him, and here, he’s showing he isn’t wasting any of his natural talent.
Kim Muncie