Reviews

My anticipation of this new record has been great, and it certainly hasn’t failed to deliver. No Motiv have cut 12 amazing tracks, unparalleled in their collective previous work.
 
The story begins with a powerful rock punch with smooth layered vocals, plenty of energy and even a rare guitar solo before hitting a darker spell through “Into The Darkness”. The album slows back to a cautious pace over the next couple of tracks as it becomes more calm, filled with several breakdowns and heartfelt vocals which are smoother than ever.
 
The middle of the album reminds me of a sound similar to the Postal Service – quiet, vacant, almost dreamy before breaking into a Thursday-esque emo-rock, and finally ending in a bash-it-out hardcore emo punk thrash session. That’s the best I can describe it. This, “Death In Numbers”, and the next song “Audition”, seem to me like an anthemic representation of No Motiv’s musical history wrapped into a few minutes. The tracks’ slow-burn is almost a crystal ball into what success lies ahead for No Motiv with this release. The production of this record is first-class.
 
Experimentation has not been a massive part of this album’s formula, although we do hear some aggressive backing vocals (shouting, if you will) for what I believe is the first time from this band, in the track entitled “Fall From Grace”. This is just the fast-paced emocore pick-me-up that the album needed to jump start my heart.
 
On the lyrics side, I’ve noticed a slight shift of focus from their previous album, Diagram For Healing. Both albums deal largely with life and, to sound cliché, what is on the inside. This remains, but this album definitely takes this to a deeper level. It goes from self-liberation to loss, regret, enthusiasm, and back again.
 
“Brand New Day” is your somewhat ‘typical’ radio-friendly rock tune to keep your foot tapping but it’s still one of the best tracks of the album without being pretentious. An awesome meandering intro follows this on the next track, which seems a little flat after already having a series of slower songs in a row. Regardless of this let-down however, the next track offers the listener a feel good beat and some honest vocals. The album is capped off with possibly the best song, “Life Goes On”. It is uplifting, happy, inspirational, and holds a bright outlook on life’s little struggles.
 
The only negative I can find is that a couple of the tracks on the album are lacking a bit of the vocal and rhythmic power of previous efforts, but all in all this is a great listen. No Motiv like to colour outside the lines on this record, and fans of emo, rock, pop punk and indie should easily find something here to enjoy.