“Never Not Together” – Nada Surf
Indie Pop
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up with the idea of being different. You never want to sound like anybody else; you need to stand out. This leads to thinking that something that sounds like music you’ve heard before is somehow derivative, even though that’s really not true. Things that have worked before worked for a reason and it makes no sense to think that nobody else could also pull it off. Nada Surf’s most recent album, Never Not Together, perfectly displays that the most familiar music can be the most enjoyable to listen to.
When I first heard this album I thought that it sounded like something that had been around for 20 years and then I found out that Nada Surf has been making music since the mid-90s. For a band to be in the game for so long, there has to be a growth of some kind. For them, it has been in the shape of refinement, as they have taken their trademark sound and cultivated from album to album. As the current culmination of this growth Never Not Together shows a band confident in their craft that features strong songwriting, great production, and a willingness to always move forward.
There are no real weak points on Never Not Together but there also aren’t that many stand-out points. All of the songs are really good, but the only one with a moment that jumps out is the midway track “Looking For You.” The track starts off with a children’s choir and turns into an altogether pleasant song, though not one of the best on the album, before it suddenly morphs into a large scale chorus halfway through that lasts for the rest of the song. This part of the song is purely anthemic and really helps give the album that hook to bring listeners back again in the future.
Never Not Together is a really strong album from a band that’s been active for almost a quarter century. There is no question of its quality, but it will be interesting to see if it manages to stand out against the rest of their discography and other music that comes out this year. Part of that will depend on the year, but sometimes it only takes a single moment to make your mark.
Koda Music 