South Wales’ own The Now are set to release their debut album this coming Friday. They’ve been building an awful lot of steam lately with their single releases, so I’m curious to hear them and see if the whole album lives up to the hype. Without wasting any more time, let’s dive in, shall we?
The album’s title track opens things up with a fun guitar riff and some instantly indie vocals. It soon kicks into more of a heavier gear with another awesome distorted riff, being more hard rock now in the vein of Wolfmother or The Hives. It drops back down for the verses, adding some great dynamics to it all. Then the awesome riff comes back for a truly MASSIVE chorus. It’s catchy and made for big arenas and stadiums. I love the simpler start to the 2nd chorus too, constantly keeping it interesting and playing around with the formula. And, on top of all of that, we get an excellent guitar solo. it’s slower and simple but so full of emotion and attitude, and fits the track perfectly. This was an amazing way to open an album, and instantly makes our playlist!
Single ‘Devil Inside Me’ opens on another great riff, almost having a sludgy, stoner vibe to it. It wouldn’t sound out of place on a Queens of the Stone Age album. It again drops down in the verse, but still has a pretty driven pace to it, building up perfectly to another huge chorus. Some of the vocal melodies are damn impressive, too, reminding me even of Matt Bellamy at times. The harmonies/backing vocals for the chorus made it even more catchy and added a great element to it all. It doesn’t have much of a bridge but it doesn’t need one, as the chorus is that good. It’s kinda Kasabian at times, too. Another excellent track!
‘Special Kind of Stupid’ follows a similar formula to the previous two tracks, but does have a little more of a steady, almost ballad-like pace. The slower pace definitely makes it feel more of an indie track than a hard rock one, the band constantly walking the line perfectly. It again builds to a fun chorus, it fitting the tone of the song well. It gets a little heavier in the bridge; a great build which was all a lot of fun. It’s another great song, and definitely the sort of heavy indie that I can really get into.
I love the change in styles for ‘Truth Always Comes Out in the End’. It’s very electronic/synth heavy, sounding more like something The Weeknd would put out. However, it still fits rather perfectly with The Now ‘s style, and builds into a pretty rocking chorus. It sounds a lot like another band we love here at Overtone, Anchor Lane. I’d love to see a tour of both bands! The lyrics in this particular track were incredible, and some of the delivery of them was incredible; full of attitude. We also get another fantastic, if all too brief, guitar solo tucked in the middle. I LOVED this song; everything about it was awesome. It’s another that easily makes our playlist!
Another single, ‘Live and Die’ is the true ballad of the album. Being piano lead for the most part, the electronic elements and subtle acoustic guitaring all combined perfectly into a fantastic sound. Yet again, the vocalist fits the tone of the song perfectly, almost giving off Robbie Williams vibes this time. It’s a beautiful track and the perfect placement on the album, around the midpoint. The lyrics are incredible and everything combines together to make an truly special song.
‘Get Out’ picks up the pace again, but still has more of an 80s synth-rock feel. That isn’t a bad thing at all, however. It’s a great track that again builds to a big, catchy chorus. And the heavy emphasis on the synths is interesting, adding another layer to the album and the bands sound. Meanwhile ‘His Last Dimension’ heavies it all back up in almost a Muse way. I can’t get over how well this album is arranged, constantly keeping it interesting and changing things up. And it helps that it’s another awesome, heavy indie track, too.
A fuzzy, heavy riff forms the basis of ‘Wind Up’ which, surprise surprise, is another excellent track. The Anchor Lane comparisons return to my head; that modern heavy indie-mixed with QOTSA which I really think is going to be the next big thing in radio rock music. And yet still, it has some of the electronic elements too, drawing everything together perfectly. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the album, and another that easily creeps onto our playlist!
The final single on the album, ‘Girl You Got Me’ is more of a traditional rock/blues track, and is a lot of fun. Pretty bass lead, everything else builds perfectly over the top of the great low melody. The feeling continues through ‘Friendly Fire’, too, though the more indie sound does return a little more in it. Having said that, it does have an amazing guitar solo in the middle. Kirk Hammett would even be proud of it, it being perfectly full of wah. And the dropped-down bit after it with the ‘woah’s is going to go down so well live. It’s another amazing song!
The final track of the album, ‘Time is Over’, follows the modern trend these days and is another ballad. However, it’s suitably epic and a fine way to close out the album. It’s just vocals and piano for the first half and is truly beautiful. The lyrics well written and it honestly gave me goosebumps. Then the drums and guitars come in, going so very Muse/Queen in all the best ways. The second half goes into more rock opera territory and I love it. I can’t get over how good this song is, and it’s yet another that makes our playlist. I HAVE to see this live, it’s so incredible and the perfect way to finish things off.
Overall: This is an incredible album. Not only is there not a bad track on it, but a huge number of them I love and will be listening to a lot more over the coming weeks and months. I don’t know what the hell is going on in Wales but damn, it’s produced yet another fantastic band and album. It blends genres seamlessly and never once feels like it drags. I’d recommend this album to absolutely anyone, regardless of what they are into. The Now are going to be a massive band sooner rather than later, and this release will do a lot to get them there.
The Score: 9.5/10