Album Review: Naught For Nothing

Every now and then a band seems to come out of the blue and you just wonder where they have been hiding and what they have been doing to get so damn good. 

Naught For Nothing formed in 2015 and are based in Northcote. Not knocking Northcote but music like this only tends to come from places where there isn’t much to do but lock yourself away and get creative. That’s why bands like Radiohead and others whose influence can be heard on this album exist and it is so refreshing to hear an Auckland band creating their own sound and standing out. 

There is some serious creativity going on and the production by Depot Sound has captured the essence of a band who go from heavy attitude to beautiful solitude and everything in between. Opening track Intro is a showcase of what is to follow with the instant hook being Andrew Reid’s vocal acrobatics. The song builds and drops creating an intense atmosphere.

Next up is one of three stand out tracks. Pragmatism vs Idealism is like early Radiohead all moody off-kilter melodies exploding into a sonic frenzy then pulling back just enough to keep things really interesting. I get the feeling Naught For Nothing put a lot of time into crafting these songs. 

Temper has a similar feel and some nice drum and guitar work avoids the cliché of verse, chorus, verse chorus even though that results in some of the songs taking a few plays to really connect. This album is a grower and will take most people a while to fully appreciate how good this band are. Every time you listen you will discover something new to like and I think the live performances are going to be quite stunning. 

So let’s get back onto my other two stand out tracks Apprehension just simply kicks ass. You have to play this album loud and this track has guitars that would make Matt Bellamy from Muse envious. This would be my choice for a single but hey that’s just my opinion.

Inevitability, is just stunning. Acoustic, introspective it just takes you away. The piano and haunting vocals are perfectly mixed. This band has a lot going on but understands when less is more.

Naught for Nothing a new band that came along and blew my mind.