“The Release” is an album by the UK-based band Near Death Experience (NDX). The album is a collection of 10 songs that was released on 1st December. The album is a beautiful collision of rock, soul, and funk that collectively form to make a great record. All the songs were written and sung by Ian Whiteling. Let’s hop on this audio train; destination? Fun and excitement
The album begins with “Conquer”, is an upbeat mixture of guitar sounds blending seamlessly together. The song talks about how the persona of the song, came, saw, and conquered whatever he or she came across. It is an empowering song that will make you feel like you can do anything. This is such a wonderful welcome to the record and braces you for the rest of the songs
Next on the record is “Underground “. This song has a country rock vibe and I’m not mad at it. In this song, the persona is encouraging you to go underground with him or her or at least to a place with a similar name where the vibes are impeccable. According to the song it is a place where freedom thrives. The trumpet is the star of this track. The song feels country but has a jazzy feel to it as well. It’s a fun little bonus and treats for listeners
“Religion” starts a bit slow with dreamy spheres before it descends into synth sounds which is a fun surprise. The song describes how rhythm is the persona’s new religion. The person describes this new religion with so much gusto and how he or she are strong believer. The song is laid back and quite interesting
“Moves” is yet another rock-infused song. The song is layered with delicate strings of guitar and electric guitar and a powerful vocal performance by Whiteling. In the song, the persona talks about how his or her lover moves him or her to do great things. The repetition of the lyrics shows how passionate he or she is about how his or her lover empowers him or her. This song will be great to listen to live!
Again we have “Everything “ which begins with a funky bass line. The persona sings about his or her lover being everything to him or her, how their love has set his spirit free and opened up many possibilities for him or her. The song goes further to say the importance of their lover in their life and how his or her life revolves around him or her. The song is upbeat and the electric guitar solo mid-song and toward the end is very satisfying
“Living” is a pop-rock song and injects a dose of beauty into this record. It’s a positive song about how everything is going to be alright. It is a feel-good song and a change of pace in the album. You’ll feel the endorphins flood your brain.
Next, we have “Found”. This is a song that begins with acoustic guitars. The song is about someone who has found love with his significant other. He goes on to sing about how he’s found a better love with his lover and describes relationships lovingly. The acoustic guitar mixes well with the other instruments and the vocal performance is a knockout
“Lord” starts slow. The oscillation between the falsetto and regular voice is beautiful. The song talks about how this Lord has his heart. The repetition of the lyrics shows the urgency of the message
Next is “Lightning “, the song begins with an electric guitar along with “hoo”, haa” adlibs. The song urges listeners to look life in the eye and not to dwell on the past. It encourages listeners to focus on the future. A feature you’ll love is the electric guitar solo and how the song ends in a very high-energy manner
The album closes out with “Dynamite”. This song with a majestic electric guitar strum. I will describe this song also as country rock. It paints a picture of the persona likening his love for his or her partner to setting the sky alive with dynamite. It leaves the listener feeling giddy and that giddiness stays with you
Overall, “The Release” album by Near Death Experience (NDX) is an album with a mix and mesh of different styles and genres of music. Each song had a different style embedded in it and each song carried a unique and equally important message. It’s an album that will take you for a ride and which everyone and anyone can rock out to.
Stream “The Release” album on Spotify
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