New Best Friend - Some Robot
Straight out of the Netherlands, Arnhem to be precise comes New Best Friend with a two-track EP, entitled Some Robot.
New Best Friend | Photo: Kealey Oosterom
According to their Bandcamp page, “New Best Friend plays Punk Rock in the vein of Leatherface and None More Black. A concentrated mix of melody, explosive poetry, and therapy. Raw vocals, raw subject matter.”
New Best Friend is made up of Bram (guitar, vocals), Erik (guitar, vocals), Guus (bass), and Manuel (drums).
Low-slung and lo-fi, the band’s sound is visceral and full of minimalist oomph.
“Some Robot” opens on uncooked dirty guitars with hint of jangly colors riding crunching exuberant drums and a tasty bassline, giving the rhythm a rolling beat with plenty of muscle. The highlight of the track is the deliciously enflamed vocals, rasping and edgy, infusing the lyrics with angry textures.
I love the rumbling, pensive feel of the solo section on this song, akin to surfing a swelling wave and then kicking it into overdrive as the wave gathers momentum and energy.
“Gave my job to some robot / Man, I don't need it and he don't mind / He never ask for a day off / He don't need no sleep / He do overtime / If you'd ask me / I'd say "What's there not to like?" / Cuz we got this thing called ‘hindsight.’”
“Leave By” travels on vibrant guitar colors, skintight and rough and ready, as radiant vocal harmonies emphasize the smooth feel of the lead vocals, which take on urgency as the tune ramps up.
Leave by / Sour grapes / Rat's and snakes / I live by / I live by / Acid in open cheeks / I live by / I live by / With open arms and eyes closed / You can't fool whoever it is you're talking to.”
I love the rumbling, pensive feel of the solo section on this song, akin to surfing a swelling wave and then kicking it into overdrive as the wave gathers momentum and energy.
On Some Robot, New Best Friend kicks it out with raw, searing dynamics, eschewing fancy-schmancy production techniques for butt-kicking sinewy muscle.
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