The New Abnormal

the take

R E V I E W 99/100 - A+ ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||| 45:07 • Production - 14/15 • Cohesion - 15/15 • Atmosphere - 20/20 • Lyricism - 20/20 • Resonance - 30/30 Lovelorn, lying on hot concrete, staring out and moving on, dreamy synth rock, day-dreaming in oil pastels, effortless, creative, a sound for everyone¹. Favorite track - Ode To The Mets² Worth a vinyl? - Duh Re-playable - Very. Can’t think of a situation where this album wouldn’t be a great backing. If you liked this album, you should try - • The Slow Rush / Tame Impala • Wishful Thinking (At Its Best) / benches • Technique / New Order E X T E N D E D R E V I E W Production - 14/15 - Julian Casablancas sounds the best he ever has - range in Eternal Summer, Selfless (hi, falsetto!), Not The Same Anymore, &c. &c. really lends itself to the more stripped back sound. - The grittiness so characteristic of their sound is there, but accomplishing a new balance in what should be an antagonistic landscape - so dreamy; so grounded. - One dink - I (who know nothing about music production) feel that the synth in Eternal Summer is slightly overbearing, bringing down an otherwise incredible song. As above, I really enjoy JC’s vocals and miss them on this track. Cohesion - 15/15 - All comes from one thesis. Lyrics, drums, synth, verse to verse, song to song, this album is so well planned. - TAAT to Selfless! Atmosphere - 20/20 - Makes you nostalgic for something you weren’t even there for. Lyricism - 20/20 - Witty, whiny, honest, self-assured. Asks the question of “do we give fans what they want or follow where our band is going?” and gives an effusive answer of the latter. Resonance - 30/30 - Speaks to me as it spoke to many on release. Timing during lockdown, themes of grief and hope and how-do-you-actually-move-on? so apparent. This album slides together in your head and stays there. N O T E S ¹ “Something for everyone” except two of my best friends, who hate The Strokes and don’t let me play them in the car. You guys are the worst (love you). ² For a long time, would’ve said Selfless or Eternal Summer. But hearing Ode To The Mets live will be one of my favorite memories when I’m 80.