New Gods | Beloved Album Review

Good things are growing in Melbourne Australia.  New Gods are an up and coming five piece band that has just released their debut album onto digital cassette called Beloved.  It’s clear that a lot of time and effort went into the band’s first effort and it’s not often that you come across an album that has something to give on each track.  This album is being touted as a digital cassette. The word cassette may bring to mind a few things for people who had the privilege to live through the era of cassette tapes. You might feel inclined to write this album off as part of the recent lo-fi movement that co-opted this particular medium to distribute their grainy sounds born in the comfort of someone’s garage. You can’t though, the tracks may have a bit of background noise to them but the lyrics are not masked by an overwhelming layer of distortion. For a lot of those lo-fi bands this layer of distortion acts as a kind of camouflage for either a lead singer with little to no vocal talent or lyrics that ring hallow in the ears of listeners. Luckily, that is not the case with New Gods’ album Beloved, to miss the lyrics that populate this album would be at the loss of the listener. 

This album has a certain quality to it. Each track can touch the inner plaid wearing youth of a certain generation while also calling to mind even older musical eras which must have played a role in the development in New Gods sound. There are a few tracks that stand out on Beloved, Beneath the World is the lead off track and it creates an atmosphere that is both dreary and oddly comforting thanks in large part to the featured piano portion. Too High starts out with a mood setting bassline but what stands out on this track are the great background harmonies that will resonate with anyone into Fleet Foxes.

       

It isn’t a simple task, Beloved just hits all the right notes as a debut album. The final track, Deeper Love, features a prominent piano portion and ends with explosive horns and vocals. It leaves you with a sense of satisfaction that is hard to achieve for any song. It’s impressive that every track has something to offer and is undeniably good. Beloved is far from a youthful romp. The tracks on this album have a very serious tone, similar to that found on a The Mary Onettes album but without the 80s flare. All and all, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who does not like at least one of the tracks on this album.

If Beloved can gain an audience then you will be hearing about these guys in the months and years to come. You can listen or download the whole album at belovedalbum.com