The New Sound is crazy, off-the-wall, dramatic and exhaustingly self indulgent but if you enjoy Geordie Greep's notable work in black midi, then you're in for a wild ride.
There have been very few frontmen like Geordie Greep. Scratch that. There's frankly been no frontman like Geordie Greep. Greep, the black midi frontman is now sadly (depressingly, even) the former black midi frontman, as the band have decided to go on indefinite hiatus a few months ago. Yes, they've technically left the door open just in case, but I don't see them reforming any time soon, if ever. The band were indeed one of the more prominent and unique UK post-punk groups to freshly come out of the post-Brexit era along with the likes of shame, Dry Cleaning, Squid, and Black Country, New Road. From the quick span of 2019-2022, they've released three fantastic albums: Schlagenheim, Cavalcade, and Hellfire. All three are great in their own right and are now seen as an impeccable trilogy of sorts, while the band seemed to become more manic, enveloped, and deepened with reach new release and embraced their unique sound that's always seemingly difficult to pin down. Cameron Picton provided bass and a folkier and typically more grounded approach, while Morgan Simpson quickly became the most notable and monstrous drummer since John Stanier of Helmet and Battles fame. And finally there's Geordie Greep, whose wild approach at songwriting, manic singing that is of a coked out carnival announcer, and complex approach to guitar tones and signatures makes him one of the most head turning artists of any band in the internet-obsessed indie/experimental music scene. Each member has their own strengths and together they seemed like a band that was unstoppable...
That is, until they weren't. black midi pulled the plug abruptly and swiftly afterward, Greep started his solo career by announcing his new debut solo album. It's been out for a few months already but I'm finally getting around to it. Sorry not sorry! Titled The New Sound, it's definitely what you expect and more from a solo record from the black midi frontman. There's sweeping, massive instrumentation, complex time signatures, more prog rock elements, crazier performances, and a greater emphasis on Greep's singing, guitar playing, and songwriting. There's also a surprisingly heavy influence of Brazilian Tropicália due to Greep seeking out a group of session musicians in São Paulo and recording with them, quickly cranking out the material. This results in many of these songs having more and more grooves than anything the band had put out. Produced with HMLTD's Seth Evans, The New Sound is notably an album experience more exclusively for the fans of Greep and his former band to enjoy. It's crazy, off-the-wall, dramatic and exhaustingly self indulgent but if you enjoy his notable work in black midi, then you're in for a wild ride. As for outsiders who are curious to delve in, it can be a difficult and challenging listen. Heck, even as a pretty big black midi fan myself, I find some of these tracks pretty difficult to digest, let alone the entire record in one sitting. At over an hour in total length, it's far longer than any black midi record and features even girthier songs with one at over twelve minutes!
With the long runtime and lack of breaks, that's not to say that The New Sound isn't still a really good time. There's a lot to like here and it's easy to get swept up in all the craziness Greep, Evan, and the group of session musicians came up with. "Blues" kicks the album off with a solid, prog and post-rock influenced track that isn't too far off from any of black midi's sonic ventures. I appreciate the focus on his complex guitars and fast, jazzy rhythms, and the progressions that end up revving and flying off the rails in greatly expected spectacular fashion. "Holy, Holy," the album's lead single, is a really good time by itself. The noisy, groovy guitars, reminiscent of something from Hall & Oates or even Earth, Wind, and Fire (think "Let's Groove") matched with Greep's smooth, honey coated singing voice. You can picture Greep going absolutely hard on the dancefloor with this one, strutting like he's in Boogie Nights. It's colorful, and arguably his most "fun" song he's made. Instrumentally, it's super fun but when you look in the lyrics, of course, it's anything but. Greep created a toxic, sex deprived character (think someone like Andrew Tate) who goes to the bar every night in search of a partner who can fulfill what he seems to be lacking. "Terra" has more of the Brazilian influence pouring in and its organic instrumentation of piano, horns, acoustics, and bongos add a lot of texture to his showman like performance. The added instrumentation continues with the title track and it's an absolute JAM. The instrumental is super fun and satisfying, and it definitely proves that these session musicians know exactly what they're doing. It's like if Tortoise decided to go full Brazilian jazz fusion instead of post rock.
Some songs that were originally intended as by black midi songs end up on this record instead, being "Walk Up " and "Motorbike." When listening to "Walk Up," you can definitely tell that its mashup of smooth sounds with harsh noise clash in a way that would've fit snugly in with the other tracks off of Hellfire (and it sounded quite fitting live when I first saw them while they were touring Cavalcade). It's a solid black midi style cut and it doesn't sound off in the track listing here either. "Motorbike" is a bit different in comparison with co-producer Seth Evans on lead vocals but if you hear its manic crashing of guitars, drumming, and piano, you can tell it's something that black midi would've initially conceived. Heck, even the band's Morgan Simpson provides his manic drumming for these two tracks (and "Blues") and it's gladly welcomed here. The pretty "Bongo Season" unsurprisingly has a great usage of bongos being played and it's a mostly sleek presentation that would sound pretty good at a cafe if you didn't look too hard enough.
"Through a War" notably has the album's best sung melodies and harmonies over its brooding instrumental. "As If Waltz" is menacing with its satisfyingly repeating paced piano and guitar chords and in between it features these beautiful lush strings. It's a great Destroyer tune if you trade in Greep's vocals for Dan Bejar's. "The Magician" is a slow burning epic with its quiet and sparse instrumentation throughout the majority of the track until its explosive, chaotic finish that effectively loses any sort of control it originally has. It's a great track but I don't know... do we need it to be twelve minutes long? I think it would be just as effective if you shaved off four minutes or even half of it for that matter. The album finishes with the schmaltzy "If You Are But a Dream" which was initially sung by Frank Sinatra back in the 40's. It's a nice cover but it does seem to stick out in the track listing a bit. Since he's a big Sinatra fan, it makes sense why it's on here in a way but it just kind of seems like an unnecessary addition, even for a fan of Greep such as myself. I think it would've been more effective if "The Magician" was the album closer instead with its more epic and grandiose fashion.
If you're ever at all wondering what black midi would sound like if Greep's crazier, more unhinged, and decides to collaborate with a massive group of Brazilian session musicians in sporadic fashion, then The New Sound certainly fulfills that curiosity. There are more grooves, more free wielding abilities, and whether you like it or not, less filter. The New Sound is inflated, a bit overstuffed, and could've easily been trimmed a bit. Even with these criticisms, it's still a great listen. Like his other projects, The New Sound is another notably enjoyable and impressive release from the talented, young singer, songwriter, and musician. It's one of 2024's most unique and solid releases. Greep has been extremely prolific and continues to do so, so don't be surprised if a follow up is already in the works. And as I'm writing this, his next project will probably be out already.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Holy, Holy," "Terra," "The New Sound," "Walk Up," "The Magician," "Bongo Season," "As If Waltz," "Blues"
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