Nada Surf - Never Not Together

  by Zena Grieg

published: 17 / 3 / 2020

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Review

The New York group Nada Surf have just released their new album ‘Never Not Together’. This long-lasting band, spanning over two decades, have evolved their distinctive sound through different genres, from the lyrically thoughtful pop of their 2002 album ‘Let’s Go’ through the rawer complexion of the 2012 ‘The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy’ to the current album. In contrast to their debut 1996 hit ‘Popular’ with its irony and subversive critique of American high school popularity, their lyrical direction is now informed by a straightforward and authentic sincerity. In ‘Never Not Together’ the key themes are alienation, empathy, the wonder of love, friendship and the ultimate interconnectedness of all human beings. ‘Never Not Together’ has a variety of catchy pop songs, starting with ‘So Much Love’. There are sweeping guitar solos and whispered monologues. The album is characterised by a longer song structure. This allows the band to explore a plethora of different musical sounds including strings, synths and even a choir in ‘Looking For You,’ which starts off as an almost orchestral waltz before exploding after three minutes into a towering sing-along chorus – "what you’re looking for’s looking for you, too." ‘Matilda’, with its powerful lyrics on growing up and sounding different, is a poignant calling out of bullying and homophobia that moves from acoustic guitar to explosive rock. ‘Never Not Together’ is not so much about venturing into new musical territory as encapsulating the sound Nada Surf have so successfully made their own, a thoughtful Beatle-esque power pop with the emphasis on pop. The band will be performing songs from their new album and old favourites at a number of UK and Irish venues this Spring.

Track Listing:-

1 So Much Love
2 Come Get Me
3 Live Learn and Forget
4 Just Wait
5 Something I Should Do
6 Looking for You
7 Crowded Star
8 Mathilda
9 Ride in the Unknown

Band Links:-

http://www.nadasurf.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NadaSurf/
https://twitter.com/nadasurf
https://www.instagram.com/matthewcaws/
https://www.youtube.com/user/nadasurf

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https://plus.google.com/+CitySlang/vid
https://twitter.com/cityslang
https://www.youtube.com/user/CitySlang