Emotive atmospherics from newcomers
Another day, another emo band. It’s always intriguing when a UK band has a stab at what the Yanks do so well. And it may be judging a book/CD by its cover, but when a band is called NeverTheMore and have track titles like ‘Before You Breathe’, there’s only one genre of music they are going to slot into and that's emo.
Credit to them, with this, their debut self-titled record, NTM have written a mini album (a mere 8 tracks here) with some lovely music on it. Thoughtful, atmospheric emo in the vein of Juno (at a push) or Thursday in their tender moments, as on ‘All Too Real’. But then, the ultimate in whiny emo vocals crawls in – slightly out of tune, slightly painful to the human ear – and spills its guts over the proceedings. And you wish it’d stop. Stop ruining the gentle cloud bursts of lilting melodies. Stop making you want to rip out your ear drums, just to relieve the aural torture.
The next moment, they’re making like Hot Water Music, mini punk rockers with growling, hoarse singing and frankly it doesn’t become them. Focusing on their Sunny Day Real Estate leanings would be their best bet. In addition to doing something about that whining, limited vocalist. Musically though, NeverTheMore are well on the way to emo land – and that’s no bad thing.