Wiretap / Brassneck / Waterslide Records, 31 Mar 2023
NOT’s new Stop The World arrives in two weeks. If I’ve been doing the math right, the band has been releasing a new single from the album every two weeks. The new one then, “If Only”, is shaping up to maybe be the last of the pre-release singles, following previous releases “Settle Down”, “Alien”, “Anxiety”, and “Stop The World”.
“If Only” is a melodic driving pop punk number, leaning heavy on sweet backing vocals, plaintive and pleading lead vocals, and a vocal phrasing hook around the chorus that sticks with me. The guitars are bright, the drums insistent, and the bass plays nice. The song is on the heart-on-sleeve pop rock side of the ledger and ends up another winner. I know, I know: we keep making the Descendents / ALL comparison, but it’s not far off. The sound is certainly there. Thankfully, with songs as good as I’ve heard so far, I’m hopeful Stop The World will be able to stand on its own.
- Song Comes From: Stop The World
- Album Release Date: 14 Apr 2023
- Purchase/Pre-Order/Pre-Save: Not Yet Available (streams available on Apple Music and Spotify)
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ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
