The Criticals – ‘Treat Ya Better’

Nashville based rock band The Criticals was formed last year, 2018. by Parker Forbes and Cole Shugart. The duo take their influence from the Rolling Stones, The Strokes and The Libertines, and their music therefore combines vintage sensibilities with a modern sound. Latest single, ‘Treat Ya Better’, is an excellent example of this.



Currently on their debut album in Nashville, The Criticals haven’t been wasting any time consolidating a steady fanbase, and have headlined at FreezeFest and Spudbash festivals, as well as performing at shows in LA, San Diego, and Chattanooga.

Written by the band’s engineer, Brandon Kelly, ‘Treat Ya Better’ is an upbeat dance track, with more than a trace of the influence of The Rolling Stones – particularly their 1979 funky disco classic, ‘Emotional Rescue’. You’d also be forgiven for mistaking the start as being about to lead into Pink Floyd’s, ‘Another Brick In The Wall’, but then, maybe that song’s rhythm guitar riff isn’t unique to that song.

Vocally it’s VERY Jagger, and one thing for sure, it’s super, super catchy.

There’s disco age synths, there’s echoing backing vocals, and it wouldn’t take much to conjure up in your head people circling about on rollerskates with socks up over their knees. Or something like that.

You can find out more about The Criticals online on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com