Releasing a second song in anticipation of their upcoming album Moral Panic (set for release in October this year) indie band Nothing But Thieves excited their fans once again…
Veering away from the ‘New Music Friday norm’, they instead chose to debut their newest single Real Love Song on the Annie Mac show, releasing it on all streaming platforms shortly after.
Starting slowly, with tones reminiscent of Amsterdam from their previous album, Broken Machine, the song is quickly introduced by the almost angsty delivery of Connor Mason – an incredibly intense vocalist, with excellent range, which is further demonstrated as the song continues. The instrumentation initially takes a backseat, but the main riff becomes more centred as the song continues, with a balance between vocals and instruments. This means we get to hear more unique sounds from the band and get more of an insight into potential patterns for the rest of the album.
With similar themes to that of their previous music, the song talks of unrequited love, with lyrics such as: “did it slide into your heart? I guess not”. It certainly helps to establish the regretful tonality of the forthcoming album, almost expressing a physical pain: “feral tear off your skin to the bone dark”, which of course is reflected in the constantly varying pace of the song – going from slow and quiet to fast and chaotic, along with the emotional expression within vocals.
If the first two tracks are anything to go by, Moral Panic is set to share similar messages and talents as those albums we have seen before from the band. Whilst constantly evolving their style, we can expect to see a couple of slower, more acoustic songs, such as If I Get High or Particles, and if the name lives up to expectations, then the songs will involve reflection and inner conflict. I for one can’t wait to see what comes next.
Rating: 8/10
By Frankie Cummings
Check out the Nothing But Thieves’ Spotify page here
Feature Image Credit: Nothing But Thieves