“Nothing’s sophomore effort may not be what fans of the Shoegazing revival anticipated in terms of direction and production, but the songwriting has never been stronger. Instead of diving further into the shoegazing realm, influences are pulled from all over the map to provide breathing room for musical growth. “
Recent years host an unlikely comeback for “The Scene That Celebrates Itself.” From the emo infused recipe of Title Fight’s Hyperview to the black metal spices provided by Alcest and Deafheaven, shoegazing has awoken from its deep slumber with modernized flavor.
Philidelphia’s Nothing have managed to stand out to me as the torchbearers of this genre revival with their marvelous debut offerings. Downward Years to Come won me over with its dreamy soundscapes and well-executed Souvlaki worship whilst Guilty of Everything managed to push the boundaries even further. The ethereal hymn-like whispers of both Domenic Palermo and Brandon Setta graciously glided beneath the crushing walls of sound generating a darker, more metallic instrumental edge the band’s peers could only dream of achieving.
My optimism for the band’s growth began to dwindle when I first listened to their offering of the Run For Cover Records split release with Whirr. Gone was the dark, hazy atmosphere that made me so deeply intrigued by the band in the first place. Instead I was left with a stripped down alternative rock track similar to the likes of Basement or Superheaven. The first batch of singles off the largely anticipated follow up LP drove this disappointing point home and left me apathetic towards the remainder of the album’s material. The motto of this story is “never judge an album by its singles.”
Nothing’s sophomore effort begins with “Fever Queen.” Right off the bat it is clear that the overall instrumental tone of this record is more poppy and bright than the debut. The hazy soundscapes and droney sound walls are still present but the vocal performance has been pushed forward in the mix to shine more of a spotlight on melody instead of pummeling it beneath walls of crushing distortion.
Tired of Tomorrow’s overall sound serves as quite the contrast to Guilty of Everything with each track boasting a delightful and pleasant springtime aura evoking feelings of contentment and euphoria. However, the lyrics suggest the very opposite. With lines such as “can someone find a cure because you know me and I am not well. I always knew I’d eventually hurt you”, “I’m living in a dream world/life’s a nightmare”, or “made of blood and semen/piss and shit we are,” it is clear that Palermo has a lot to say regarding his anxiety and depression and chooses a contrasting musical canvas to express it. A brief look into the frontman’s past would easily explain the dark lyricism found throughout, but Shoegazing as a genre has always been more about the atmosphere it produces than the words spoken throughout.
“Veritgo Flowers” is one of the two singles I found to be disappointing at first listen, but since hearing the track in the album’s context I have a newfound understanding of its functioning purpose. It is the most poppy, bright, and catchy song on the record and keeps a small footing in the band’s shoegazing tendencies whilst experimenting with a more linear 90’s Alternative Rock approach. The track could easily fit into the track listing of Basement’s recent LP Promise Everything but maintains a far more intriguing punch.
It is interesting to note the ying-yang relationship between Tired of Tomorrow’s middle tracks “Nineteen Ninety Heaven” and “Curse of the Sun.” It’s as if the record’s overall sound was evenly split between two songs with the first showcasing group’s pristine Dream Pop sensibilities followed by a crushing alternative rock anthem reminiscent of Deftones, Swervedriver, or Hum.
There are a few duds and kinks to be found on Tired of Tomorrow’s track listing. The second single “Eaten by Worms” appears as a sleepy homage to Radiohead’s “Creep” that tends to drone on without much activity. The piano-driven title track concluding the record gives off the false impression of a grandiose finale but only manages to do nothing but seemlessly trail off. There are also some not-so-subtle, recycled moments from Guilty of Everything including the ending of “Vertigo Flowers” being nearly identical to the conclusion of “Bent Nail” and the chorus of “Our Plague” utilizing an identical vocal pattern and melody from “Hymn to the Pillory.”
Tired of Tomorrow’s art speaks volumes of the album’s content with its visual business. There’s a lot going on in the image presented, and the same can be said about the tracks found within. Nothing’s sophomore effort may not be what fans of the Shoegazing revival anticipated in terms of direction and production, but the songwriting has never been stronger. Instead of diving further into the shoegazing realm, influences were pulled from all over the map including the likes of Deftones, Swervedriver, Ride, Galaxie 500, Hum, Failure, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and many more to provide breathing room for musical growth. Each track illustrates strong stylistic variety, new found melody, but unfortunately lacks a strong cohesive flow. However, a quick rearrangement of the tracklisting could easily remedy this small kink.
(7.5/10)
Recommended Tracks: The Dead are Dumb, Nineteen Ninety Heaven, Curse of the Sun