“Find the Light, Don’t Curse the Darkness” Plastic Barricades // Optimist

On February 2, the London based alt. rock/indie duo, Plastic Barricades, released their second single, Optimist, from their upcoming LP “Self-Theories”. With Dan Kert behind the genius of the vocals, guitar, bass, and lyrics, and Paul Love holding it down on drums, percussion, backing vocals, and keyboard, this is clearly a powerful and dynamic duo with talent out the wazoo. The song was written, recorded, and mixed in a Backyard Shed Studio in North-West London, um hello, how cool is that?! And, was mastered by Andy “Hippy” Baldwin at Metropolis Studios. This song has a really unique sound and personality to it. It almost gave me, like, a modern Beatles vibe, mixed with a new-era indie style, super vibey, and super catchy. 

Living up to its name, Optimism is a song encouraging our society to embrace the power of positive thinking. The lyrics focus on the enlightenment of being optimistic, and how being pessimistic is a choice that we make. To see the brighter side is a learned habit, that ultimately leads us to a fulfilled life. “Find the light, don’t curse the darkness,” was a line that really stood out to me, as it takes the opposite approach of how most people would handle sadness. It makes you think about the way you approach your problems, as most people tend to focus their energy on the negatives, instead of trying to build a life of positivity. Another interesting line was, “what if you could find pleasure in the journey? Redefine what you really want...” What an amazing message to be putting out into the world. I feel like they are really using their voice as artists to promote positive thinking. 10/10 love this band, guys, for real. 

Now, what is possibly even more interesting than the song is the music video. Created by PB art director Elina Pasok, and filmed in a bedroom, as described by the band themselves, it is a DIY music video with, “8 houses, 8 cars, plenty of glassware, some benches and trees, a crowd of exactly 300 cast members and around 20 buckets of water.” If you don’t get it, go watch the music video, it’ll make you giggle. If you aren’t inclined to watch it, rest assured that, “none of the 300 cast members were harmed during the shoot, although one house and one car were destroyed in the end.” 

All in all, the song was executed perfectly with a music video to match. The duo clearly put a lot of heart and passion into the song, and that shows. I love how much personality shines through in both aspects, as it makes you feel a connection to the duo and the lyrics of the song. Well done, mates. Can’t wait to see what’s next for you! Don’t miss the release of their new LP, follow them on social media! 

'Optimist' music video link: https://youtu.be/IHOLEtYj7oM
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7D7bbXxMiGtIDtfX2nC46U?si=8-cZhFyqS6-V--hA28WYYA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plasticbarricades 

​Review By: Maddisen V