The New Up - Better Off
‘Better Off’ is the second in a trilogy of Ep’s that The New Up intends on releasing over the coming months. On this release there is a juxtaposition of sounds that makes the record something that you have never experienced before. It combines a dark edge, hard-hitting alternative rock, the occasional whisper of moody dance rock and the odd touch of something moderately warming.
As well as containing some strong melodies pulsating through each tune, this female fronted quintet creates songs that are diverse enough to make each stand out in its own right. ‘Dear Life’ is punchy and has some heavy guitar and bass riffs that make you want to delve into the music even more. The title track engulfs so many musical arrangements it takes your breath away, ‘Bitch’ builds momentum to an outer space experience while it runs with the dominant guitars crunching some heavy riffs, ‘F*** You Roger (Until Further Notice)’ has some rather hazy sounds but the way in which they are used is remarkable, as if you are sitting on cloud 9; the music probably stands out more on this tune than any of the others. The concluding song, ‘Wait’ is much slower with gentle keys and guitars pinging away subtly; it emits a rather relaxing sense about it.
Each song may be different in its own way but vocally each one is consistent and pleasant, as the female vocals do not attempt to be more than they are; she doesn’t attempt a gruffer voice to match the music, which you can be thankful for, and the harmonies and male contributions combine well. It is recommended you look out for this and the other two Ep’s wherever you can.