A Little Life by MUMBO is an alt-rock experience with some ethereal, psychedelic influences that give the piece a unique timbre to match its perspective. A Little Life covers the themes of retrospection, looking at the missed opportunities that present themselves while scrutinizing life. The track has a contrasting tone of peace and tension. This tension makes itself apparent in the vocal delivery and melodic execution. It is almost like the piece cannot decide whether to accept these mistakes as a fact of life or feel desperately regretful about all the missed chances and errors in the past.

The vocals have a conversational tone, ambling their way through the melody in a way that feels like a train of thought. Reminiscing on old moments from childhood like being told not to run with scissors has the same emphasis as other moments about missed opportunities later in life. That sense of all these moments being level makes the listener feel like they are floating through memories and hypotheticals. It is incredible how the subtle delivery captures the tone of a mind wandering. The delivery also reminds me a little of The Smiths, with a sense of cynicism revealing itself in certain moments throughout the track. The guitar follows the melody created by the vocals, adding extra trills and runs, exploring the melodic texture in a far greater depth than any other instrument in the composition. This ebb and flow and deep textural exploration links back to this sense of exploring the mind. The guitar feels like synapses firing, and all the overthinking that is too fast to put into words in the background of the brain. It almost mimics the vocals in sections, giving the piece this melodic echo that lends itself to the psychedelic tone at the heart of the piece. 

Overall, the song’s dedication to its theme and execution has crafted an articulate track with a different perspective that’s also fun to listen to!