Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Options” by Gomez
You might not recognize the name, but if you’re of a certain age, you’ve most certainly heard Gomez perform. Their cover of the Beatles’ “Getting Better” was used in ad campaigns for Phillips flat-screen TVs, starting in the late ’90s.
Roughly 10 year’s later, they had a minor hit with “Airstream Driver” off of 2009’s “A New Tide” record.
Two years after that saw the band release “Whatever’s On Your Mind,” and its lead single “Options.” In the song, the protagonist is stuck between youthful idealism and the sort of “safe” life choices we’re often conditioned to make.
I could settle down, be responsible
Be a good man
Learn how to fix things, baby
And that’s okay
At least I've got options
"The idea came to me whilst driving past a guy shouting in the street at nothing in particular; holding a gigantic Starbucks. He was highly agitated by something… The only thing I caught was 'At least I've got options.' It started me thinking about the life choices that will confront us all sooner or later."
~Ian Ball, on the song’s origin
Part of Gomez’s appeal is knowing what works and sticking to it. Vocals are split between 3 people, and they know when to turn up/turn down the sound. In this case, Ian Ball is behind the wheel.
That said, there's a fine line between sticking with a winning formula and falling into creative laziness. Reviews at the time seemed to think they were stuck in a rut; I felt like they'd just caught their groove, and in the case of “options,” one that only improves with age. Getting better indeed.1
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Whatever’s On Your Mind evenly splits up vocal duties between Ian Ball and Tom Gray’s more soothing vox and Ben Ottewell’s gravelly howl, and tracks like the complicated pop of “I Will Take You There” and groovy first single “Options” exemplify the best of what make Gomez such an exciting listen, albeit still a defiantly pop outfit.
Check out the rest of the review here.
Listen:
“Options” by Gomez| Whatever’s On Your Mind, 2011
Click the record to listen on your platform of choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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It took everything I had not to work in a #dadjoke about “opting” to make a good song here.
Great track 👏 I haven't heard it before. Also didn't know the band
Gomez! It's been years since I've listened to them. Thanks for bringing this back into my world!