I love it when I become utterly smitten with a song and a group. Such is the case with Distilled Harmony’s first single Nothing Feels Like You. This powerhouse party band from Northeastern University is every bit as funktastic as the Little Mix song they are covering. What up Northeastern?! Y’all apparently ain’t got nothing to do except sing your faces off during those snowed-in Boston winters. And that’s a good thing when you can churn out music this fun.

The party starts with the signature claps of the original. This being my first exposure to the song, I’m feeling it in a world beat sort of way. Then the guttural “awh” crescendo hypes me up just a bit more. I’m ready for this jelly. Now, while the line doesn’t explode into the opening that it promised, it’s still intriguing enough to make me want to listen to more.

If you are familiar with Beyoncé's End of Time, then you’ll understand and appreciate the dexterity that soloist Dharani Rao (and the non-credited harmonist) commands when performing the rapidfire lyrics of Nothing Feels Like You. It takes a patter master of the Gilbert and Sullivan level to do the song justice, and that they do. Great job!

The only issue I have with the song is with the mix. The backing pads are just too loud on the super boring parts. When I can hear the tenor/alto held chord on an “oo” and “ah” completely drowning out the soloist and the rhythmic parts, something is just wrong. It’s like everyone’s trying to wail at the same volume — great when you all have the power, and this probably sounds wonderful live, but here, less would be a lot more.

When I need to be lifted, I’m turning to Distilled Harmony for the foreseeable future to do the trick. There’s nothing like them out there right now.