The New Loud

Can't Stop Not Knowing EP

Written by: TL on 15/03/2010 00:07:57

For my next review, the subject is another EP, "Can't Stop Not Knowing", from a band you're not likely to have heard of before, The New Loud. This one I've been spinning and wanting to review for a while, but haven't gotten to it because I've been also having a hard time composing my thoughts into a streamlined review-ish format. Now however, I've lost my patience, and I've decided to just present you my impressions and see how that turns out..

The band is a three piece, two guys, one chick, from Milwaukee, and they utilize male/female vocals, guitars, keys and drums in their music, which I find reminds me the most of Klaxons and other, mostly British, electronic indie/punk outfits. Their EP is sort of a half and half split of faster and slower tracks, with the faster ones definitely commanding my attention the easiest, opener "Don't Dance" as well as "The Short Way" going to work on my memory at their most intense, when the female vocals come in to back the male ones up, especially so in the former where they're shouted to good effect. This is also utilized in the cover of Radiohead's "2+2=5", which I've read elsewhere is supposedly a quite awful rendition, but since I've only heard the original once, and don't normally count among Radiohead's diehard fans, I don't really mind it too much - TNL's version of the angry "You've not been paying attention!" yells are just as memorable to me as Radiohead's are anyway.

The remaining space on the disc is taken partly by the song "Every Girl I See", which crawls away with a rather pompous atmosphere, not making that big of an impression. At least not compared to the poppy "Heaven", which is present both in a radio version and an extended mix, which is.. well.. longer. This one is catchy enough, though I must admit I don't mind the version that doesn't drag on, after all, it is sort of a pop song, and it doesn't need to overstay its welcome in my opinion.

You might have noticed that my tone in this review isn't very excited, neither in a good, nor a bad way, and that reflects my feelings for "Can't Stop Not Knowing" nicely I think. On the upside, I can see this making people dance in a venue, and to TNL's credit, it's catchy enough to have you singing along to their choruses when they come around, even after a limited number of casual spins. On the downside though, when the disco lights stop flashing, you throat is soar from the singalong and your legs are tired from the dancing, it doesn't feel like there's a whole lot for your heart or your mind to take home. Maybe it's just me having an issue with music that's mostly electronic, or vocals that are as quirky as the male ones that dominate this disc, but I feel like when I've said this is catchy, there's not that much more for me to feel about it.

Download: Don't Dance, The Short Way
For The Fans Of: Klaxons, Flashing Of Knives, Veto
Listen: myspace.com/thenewloud

Release Date 02.02.2010
I Heard You Wanna Fight Me Records

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