press
8 out of 10
Composed by members of prominent Bay Area bands, Nothington is a new band that comes to reinforce the notion that California punk rock can still mean something. Jay and Gabe from Tsunami Bomb and Chris from Enemy You together with Mike from Time Spent Driving deliver a resounding debut, which is mostly a result of their time spent with their previous projects.
All In begins with the line “I sleep for hours, and I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, this world somehow drags me down..” lines that are reminiscent of Hot Water Music, and Jay’s vocals are gruff in the same tradition, however the later country twanged riffage immediately sets the Nothington guys apart from being a copy. At first I was dubious about the band being able to offer something new, and I was very prepared to write them off as copycats, but as soon as I listened to more than the first song, I was smitten. There is punk rock, but it is tinged with country-esh melodies, and a lot of mid tempo songs and they all seem to sound fresh. I was pleasantly surprised when I recognized Agent M singing backup vocals for a couple of tracks, the highlight being “Going Home”. There are a few songs on which I think Chris takes the lead vocal duties (“Awake For Days”) and these are a great complement to Jay’s songs and keep the album fresh for the 33 minutes it last.
Comparisons are going to abound with the Gainsville band, but Nothingon is rising above being imitators and have a lot to add to the heartfelt punk rock and if they continue I can see them being an welcome addition to the Leatherface pantheon.
8 out of 10
RIYL: Leatherface, Lucero, Hot Water Music, The Enablers
All In begins with the line “I sleep for hours, and I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, this world somehow drags me down..” lines that are reminiscent of Hot Water Music, and Jay’s vocals are gruff in the same tradition, however the later country twanged riffage immediately sets the Nothington guys apart from being a copy. At first I was dubious about the band being able to offer something new, and I was very prepared to write them off as copycats, but as soon as I listened to more than the first song, I was smitten. There is punk rock, but it is tinged with country-esh melodies, and a lot of mid tempo songs and they all seem to sound fresh. I was pleasantly surprised when I recognized Agent M singing backup vocals for a couple of tracks, the highlight being “Going Home”. There are a few songs on which I think Chris takes the lead vocal duties (“Awake For Days”) and these are a great complement to Jay’s songs and keep the album fresh for the 33 minutes it last.
Comparisons are going to abound with the Gainsville band, but Nothingon is rising above being imitators and have a lot to add to the heartfelt punk rock and if they continue I can see them being an welcome addition to the Leatherface pantheon.
8 out of 10
RIYL: Leatherface, Lucero, Hot Water Music, The Enablers