It's been a long time coming since 2001's "Rock Steady," but No Doubt, the multi-platinum band that harnessed the third-wave ska revolution of the 1990s, is back and prove that they're still good for an epic color-soaked, cross-cultural rager with their first visual in over a decade for their comeback reggae inspired track, "Settle Down," the lead single from the Orange County ska-punk racket's upcoming sixth studio album, "Push and Shove," due out on September 25.The music brings the sound of the band by which California became known, a mixture of pop/rock with Latin and Caribbean rhythms, merging them with American pop and rock music, and accenting them with that No Doubt-ian accent. The upbeat ska pop track proves they have not only been able to keep their classic catchy style, but also reinvent their reggae-influenced beat to attract a new generation of musical rebels. "Settle Down" finds the band at their party-ready prime, shaking off the rust of a decade away and having a total blast.
The frontwoman Gwen Stefani said in an interview that it's "just about being overwhelmed by so much going on and how to balance all of it." The Sophie Muller-directed kaleidoscopic trucker-themed clip is a brightly colorful and visually as bombastic as the song is sonically, banging thing that sees the quartet re-imagined as truckers and each bandmate driving tricked-out trucks with grotesquely decorated semi until ultimately heading toward their reunion, which quickly turns into a jam session for a crowd of eager spectators.
The comeback clip shows they haven't lost a step in their decade away from the spotlight. "We tried to do something that resembled different parts of the world rather than a specific place," Stefani said. Although there's a joyous atmosphere throughout, Muller said she tried to portray the uncertainty in Stefani's lyrics, "Lyrically it's not really a party song. It's got a real emotional desire to get through something. You have a combination of this party feel with her struggle to be able to express herself."
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