Red Telephone keeps giving us a taste of what we will be able to experience in its entirety early next year. Gearing up for the 2025 release of their sophomore album Delay The New Day and just a couple of months after their exciting comeback with the single that gives name to the album, the Cardiff multi-instrumentalists offer us What To Believe, a groovy tune where the complexity of the conflicting narratives portrayed on the lyrics contrast with the rhythmic and feel-good instrumental that transports us to the funky vibe of the 80s, where the vocals of lead singer Declan and the effortless groove of the band would’ve fit perfectly.
Originally conceived as a slow, melancholic piece where the simplicity and ethereal sounds would lead the way, the track decided to guide its players onto another route, one more where the sense of a nice urgency (like walking down the street while running countless errands, not like speeding on the highway because you forgot to turn off your stove) is evoked by the feeling Dom on the bass and Luke on the drums injected on it during the recording sessions. The opening grove of the bass instantly sets the mood of the song and brings the 80s energy that feels so familiar and comforting, where the synths and the dreamy voice that follows complete the whole scene in our heads. A taste of the good old times for the XXI century kids.
And the lyrics also talk to said modern-day kids, and adults and everyone in reality. Starting with the tagline repeated multiple times on the chorus and the phrase that gives name to the song, “Tell me what to believe?” a question that everyone seeks an answer for, but one they often search for in the wrong places. “It’s definitely got something to do with the problems that come with drowning in an ocean of information, content, and conflicting narratives. Not wanting to get seduced or manipulated by things, all while searching for something to have a bit of faith in,” says Declan, an existentialism approach that will be explored more thoroughly on the album. The single feels like overthinking in your room with your favourite song at max volume on your headphones, an activity we love to engage in and that Red Telephone will now be part of.