The Naked And Famous hit the ground running and burst onto
the music scene with their 2011 debut ‘Passive
Me, Aggressive You’, receiving global critical acclaim; the stunning singles,
‘Young Blood’ and ‘Punching In A Dream’, being instantly featured
on hit US shows, such as The Vampire
Diaries and Gossip Girl. The
mysterious musical ensemble craft their own anthemic, psych-pop flavour with a
twist of 80’s post-punk influence, which results in well-produced melodic songs
that are hard not to love; dance-floor heartbeats and crackling synths blended
with occasional heavy guitar riffs make TN&F one of the more unique
indie-electronic bands out there, purely because they’re not afraid to shy away
from sounds that they adore. Recently having secured a contract with indie
record label, Fiction Records (home to the likes of Crystal Castles, Snow
Patrol and The Maccabees), The Naked And Famous had a lot of pressure from fans
to become a little more steady on their feet, and the new
single ‘Hearts Like Ours’ displays that the band are doing exactly that. Alisa Xayalith’s cute, yet
sometimes urgent, vocals which glide and soar amongst hazy, electronic textures,
are still present, and are still partnered with Thom Powers’ more melancholic,
drowsy utterances that drift in and out of the bouncy notes and tense, haunting
synths – somewhat similar to The xx’s heartfelt vocalist cohesion.
Orchestrating and combining musical ingredients is hardly innovative these days (think M83, MGMT and Grouplove), however, TN&F’s knack for layering songs and sounds leads us to somewhere interesting, and ‘Hearts Like Ours’ is a shining example of this. Festival-fit, reductively romantic and self-immersing, it carries their trademark psych-rock sound that is carried by electronic fuzzy cues. The song bursts into colour and motion (definitely fit to be named a summer anthem) as Alisa exclaims “Half awake and almost dead/Keep an empty bed downstairs!”. Static will rattle amplifiers, fuses will blow and drumbeats and bass will shake the earth when played loud, as it was clearly intended to be. The band seems to have taken more control of the guitar riffs, electronic beats and Alisa’s vocals, which is definitely a change that is to be accepted with warm, open arms. Nevertheless, it does sound a little similar to ‘Girls Like You’, and it feels as if the band has played it a tad safe by mimicking the structure of ‘Young Blood’. That said, the emotionally-charged chorus and sensitive, captivating lyrics will become buried in your mind, as the uplifting sound of Powers and Xayalith singing in unison will have festival crowds globally chanting the lyrics, while they fist-pump and dance to the tectonic bass.
Although it has been a long wait for devoted TN&F fans, it has been worth their while as The Naked And Famous have taken their next strike at musical success, yet a very tentative one. With fingers crossed, TN&F’s sophomore album should, hopefully, exceed ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’, and ‘Hearts Like Ours’ is a single that certainly suggests so.
‘In Rolling Waves’ is expected to be released September 16th 2013, featuring singles ‘Hearts Like Ours’ and ‘Waltz’.
Orchestrating and combining musical ingredients is hardly innovative these days (think M83, MGMT and Grouplove), however, TN&F’s knack for layering songs and sounds leads us to somewhere interesting, and ‘Hearts Like Ours’ is a shining example of this. Festival-fit, reductively romantic and self-immersing, it carries their trademark psych-rock sound that is carried by electronic fuzzy cues. The song bursts into colour and motion (definitely fit to be named a summer anthem) as Alisa exclaims “Half awake and almost dead/Keep an empty bed downstairs!”. Static will rattle amplifiers, fuses will blow and drumbeats and bass will shake the earth when played loud, as it was clearly intended to be. The band seems to have taken more control of the guitar riffs, electronic beats and Alisa’s vocals, which is definitely a change that is to be accepted with warm, open arms. Nevertheless, it does sound a little similar to ‘Girls Like You’, and it feels as if the band has played it a tad safe by mimicking the structure of ‘Young Blood’. That said, the emotionally-charged chorus and sensitive, captivating lyrics will become buried in your mind, as the uplifting sound of Powers and Xayalith singing in unison will have festival crowds globally chanting the lyrics, while they fist-pump and dance to the tectonic bass.
Although it has been a long wait for devoted TN&F fans, it has been worth their while as The Naked And Famous have taken their next strike at musical success, yet a very tentative one. With fingers crossed, TN&F’s sophomore album should, hopefully, exceed ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’, and ‘Hearts Like Ours’ is a single that certainly suggests so.
‘In Rolling Waves’ is expected to be released September 16th 2013, featuring singles ‘Hearts Like Ours’ and ‘Waltz’.
Once more, another excellent piece of writing that gets to the heart of good music journalism. Why is this guy not writing for NME, it's far better than some of the stuff they churn out! Take note, this guy knows his music and knows it well!
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