Music Review: Somebody To You by The Vamps Feat. Demi Lovato

After the momentous release of their debut album, Meet The Vamps, British pop rock band The Vamps have teamed up with American singer, Demi Lovato to create the catchy and upbeat song, Somebody To You.

Characteristically The Vamps sound is iconic and personal to themselves, bringing together the artistry of their guitar playing and drum skills combined with the harmonising vocals of the 4 strapping members. Notably the individualistic sound of lead singer, Bradley Simpson's voice is a fresh reminder that this is a band like no other.

As i have mentioned before, Demi Lovato stars in this song, singing in the second verse with her astoundingly strong and iconic vocals, behind which Brad provides a soft harmony. There's no doubt that such a duet would have caused Demi's fans to flock to The Vamps, in turn supporting their sound and likewise, fans of The Vamps most likely have done the same for Demi; so we can assume that this collaboration has proven extremely beneficial for the artists. However in fact there has been mixed reception with some Demi fans claiming her voice is drowned out by the band, with fans of The Vamps counter-arguing that it is, after all, The Vamps' song, not Demi's.

The band, despite being more artistic and less 'manufactured' in how they sound, does however produce songs that we would stereotypically associate with the 'boy band' label, singing particularly about a girl they adore, pleasing their already huge fan base. Now i don't mind my share of pop music and indeed the essence of rock is there, although fine-tuned, but what the band is challenged by is the reception. Many people tend to pass off pop music produced by 'boy bands', claiming that they are heavily manufactured. Indeed a fair share of artists are 'manufactured' and controlled by the music industry and whilst i admit that there is a slight degree of that here, the fact that the band focuses on their skill and talent not only to sing but also in making great music through the use of their instruments, gives them an edge that many pop groups cannot compare to.

If pop-rock isn't up your street then i can only say that this song isn't for you. However I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the song and i think that even though you may not be into the idea of 'boy bands' it's still well worth a listen. So why not head to your local music store and purchase The Vamps new album? Even better, you can download the album immediately from iTunes here.