Reduction in Force concludes an excellent batch of recent singles with the legal-themed intensity of “Compromise.” This project from songwriter Mike Mills continues to impress with heady and melodic songwriting, here exploring the psychological toll of a lengthy corporate lawyer career, following previous standouts like “World Full of Echoes” and “Images of Heaven.” It masterfully portrays the tradeoffs and professional masks required to navigate a high-stakes “legal fiction.”

Punchy drums and twangy guitars lead swiftly into Mills’ debonair vocal presence, its “lost in the flood” and “no room for peace” lyricism exuding a foreboding, hectic perspective. “That’s why you get paid, finding the darkness in the shade,” the stirring vocals continue amidst roaring guitar distortion. The sharply effective central hook ensues, the vocals maintaining a suave quality in the “got to compromise” decisiveness and then evolving into an impassioned “yeah, it hurts!” allure. The track is masterful in its development from fierce, stone-faced introspection to a heart-on-sleeve energy.

A moody segment takes hold at the two-minute turn, where murky atmospherics and simmering distortion pair with thumping rhythms. “Demonize, scrutinize, weaponize, rationalize,” Mills’ vocals push forward with intense momentum, culminating in another delectable “that’s why you get paid” ascent — sounding like a lovely cross of Manic Street Preachers, T. Rex, and Suede. “Compromise” is another impactful standout track from Reduction in Force, comprising the final song in his “Second Act six pack.”

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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.

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