Today, Moscow alt rockers NEEDSHES are back with a catchy, doo-wop-inspired bop called “Beautiful,” premiering below. The retro tune sees the trio—fronted by Uzbekistan-born singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Otabek “Bek” Salamov—tackling a timeless topic: caveman love.
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“It’s so complicated when you try to enter into relationships with another person,” Salamov says in a statement. “You need to know her/his background, profession, culture, and so on. A caveman has really fewer problems, fewer things to synchronize. I thought it would be great to write a song from his perspective. I chose this angle of telling the story because for me it seems more romantic. You don’t have any distractions, noise—only [a] beautiful landscape, thunder, rain, wind, and two persons. It makes things easier.”
Salamov’s voice swells and croaks as he sings of a caveman’s “burning love” for the cavewoman who stole his heart. “Don’t walk away, I’m not so bad,” he pleads in the chorus. “Believe me, girl, you will be glad / I want to feel, just show me how / Please take my hand and love me now / I’ll get the cave, I’ll build the fire / Please stay with me, you’re my desire.”
“I didn’t plan on writing ‘Beautiful,’” says Salamov. “I usually have a period of subconscious thinking about some stuff. It enables me to pick my guitar and just write it when I feel that I have something to say. You know this movie, ‘The Man from Earth?’ There was a joke about how men in the cave era were attracting women with whistling, some noises. Probably it was floating around my mind when I was writing the song. And then I added the romantic side to it.”
With “Beautiful,” NEEDSHES evoke some of the most iconic doo-wop acts of the ‘50s and ‘60s. “I relied on the golden sounds of doo-wop of which I am a big fan: The Marcels, Patsy Cline, The Penguins, Little Anthony, Elvis Presley, The Righteous Brothers,” says Salamov.
“Beautiful” also arrives with a roudier “party version” of the track. “The Rockabilly (Party) version is a tribute to my childhood memories about how everybody’s family was gathering together to watch Soviet comedies, such as ‘Shurik’s Adventures,’ on the New Year,’ explains Salamov. “60% of these movies consist of music, a score rooted in country, rock’n’roll, and rockabilly. Wherever you are, you can feel like home when watching these films.”
NEEDSHES is rounded out by guitarist Ivan Petukhov and drummer Alexey Manakhov. “Beautiful” follows the band’s latest singles “You Make Me Feel,” “Don’t Make Me Cry,” and “Love,” all of which come after the 2019’s Truth Power. Listen to “Beautiful” below.
“Beautiful” is out now.
