Beatenberg – 'Don’t Call Her Over To You'
South African pop trio Beatenberg will make you think twice about calling that person on your mind with their newest single ‘Don’t Call Her Over To You’.
Hailing from Cape Town, Beatenberg formed in 2008 but began to gain attention in their native South Africa with their 2014 debut album ‘The Hanging Gardens Of Beatenberg’. The band consists of Matthew Field (vocals/guitar), Robin Brink (drums) and Ross Dorkin (bass), who came together to deliver a sound that combines mainstream pop with their classical background and local influence. Now based between London and Berlin, Beatenberg have made appearances on late-night television shows, supported George Ezra on his arena tour and completed their own sold-out summer tour across the UK and Europe. ‘Don’t Call Her Over To You’ is the group’s first release since their 2022 EP ‘On the way to Beatenberg’, and it marks the beginning of a hopeful comeback.
The track begins with a sprightly guitar melody, its bright and jumpy tone shining with Afropop influence. Field’s airy vocals glide in smoothly against the instrumental, but a closer listen to the lyrics in his upbeat flow reveals a less cheerful word of advice to anyone who’s found themselves contemplating whether they should contact that person from their past. “Don’t call her over to you just ‘cause she’s in range of your thoughts when you’re feeling sad, or you’re feeling strange,” he sings. While it’s a hard pill to swallow, Field is easy on the ear with a cadence that is comfortable and slightly evocative of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig.
Following a stunningly finespun vocal melody, listeners are reminded of the initial message with blunter guidance. “Don’t call her over to you, don’t try to reconcile any two things too quickly, don’t try to make her smile. And don’t give her your confession, don’t ask her for her hand. And don’t call her over to you in a barren hinterland.” The songwriting is incredibly moving, using references to the natural world in its most expansive forms to accentuate the distance between two people who have gone separate ways in a relationship despite the love that was once present. Reconnection may be desirable, for Beatenberg it is not the solution, nor should it be done on a whim. In case another reminder is needed, the song closes on a final “Don’t call her over to you just because you can.”
‘Don’t Call Her Over To You’ is tender and meditative, depicting Beatenberg’s artful, poetic approach to pop music. The composition of the song feels simplistic but manages to stir the soul through its pensive lyricism, lucent rhythms, and Field’s emotive vocal quality. The band’s unique sound shows that pop does not have to be flashy to be effective. ‘Don’t Call Her Over To You’ issues a welcomed return, hinting at a future of imaginative new additions to Beatenberg’s catalogue.
Words by Kayla Sandiford
