Highly Evolved (1:32)

“Highly Evolved” is the opening track and first single from The Vines’ debut album of the same name (Highly Evolved). The song was written by Craig Nicholls. Clocking in at slightly over 90 seconds, Highly Evolved is the Vines’ third shortest song (after Gross Out from their third album, Vision Valley, and Jamola from their fourth album Melodia). The track’s primary melody consists of four chords in E minor. It begins with a tribal beat, with bassist Patrick Matthews muting his notes slightly and Nicholls singing in a cool and collected manner. When the chorus comes in, the vocals become more abrasive, with Nicholls snarling like Johnny Rotten or Liam Gallagher. In the second verse, the vocals are overdubbed with Nicholls on two tracks: one similar to the first verse, and the second shifted up an octave. After the guitar solo, more guitar tracks are introduced before the song descends to just the drums before the final “highly evolved” lyric.