The Nightjars - Towards Light (Reveal)
3/5
By: Alex Lee Thomson
This mini album is packed so tightly with potential it's a wonder the case manages to close. It's got real song-making talent displayed across it but as highly influential as it could almost be, it's tragically just a great display of simple possibility, with little thought for follow-through. The songs here are fresher than a pencil case at the start of term and nicely show a band on the wave of brilliant new artists who are writing well-rounded and individual songs rather than relying on hooks and fillers that are used to get to the punchline chorus as hastily as possible. On the flip side though, for all the capacity the band have, it's not been matched by production and this supposedly finished work is strife with demo-like vocals and equalizer-unfriendly levels of instrumentation.
This band seem to know their stuff however, but the assembly is so shoddy it's hard to believe your heart or understand why you're so drawn in. The simplistic nature and enthralling melody of 'Second Guess' attaches you to the verse so well it's a shame when the guitar solo outstays its welcome and leaves you holding down the fast forward button. 'No Kicks' sounds utterly different to the songs around it but is also tragically unified by its hackneyed guitars that are far too prominent, obscuring the howling vocals that deserve to be pressed forward more than they have been.
Hopefully this long playing EP / mini album / thing will be re-cut for an album next year because if it isn't it would be a tragic waste of talent. It's an awe-inspiring use of styles with liberal portions of indisputable aptitude, but realistically wont make it far away from the indie store shelves. We'll have our eyes closed and fingers tightly crossed that for all the clear magic The Nightjars can effortlessly craft, they get the chance to see it fruition into its right state of existence. For curiosity purposes, check this record out as there's enough to get excited about, just don't expect radio-ready anthems that will knock your socks off.
Stream four tracks from 'Towards Light' HERE.
Artists in this article: The Nightjars
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