The Philly band NOTHING pressed their way to the forefront of the shoegaze revival with their 2014 album Guilty of Everything. They brought a loud and rough around the edges grunge undercurrent to the genre as a needed reminder of bands like Hum and the Catherine Wheel. Some of this edge ebbed on 2016’s Tired of Tomorrow they have brought back the loud wall of sound for Dance on the Blacktop with a fuzzed-out roar of guitar. They have also matured in their songwriting and are cranking out songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with the bands that influenced them. “Zero Day” finds it’s surreal 90s sensibility maintained with “Blue Line Baby.” Not only did they nail the authenticity of this guitar sound, but build it into hooky melodies. This album introduces a few new elements, one being the vintage slacker rock jangle indie rock bands of the 90s underground cranked out. This first surfaces on “You Wind Me Up.”
Some of these songs require multiple listens to really sink in. It took “Plastic Migraine” four listens before the layers all fell into place for me. The listens peeled back layers of the sonic onion to reveal the vocal melody hiding behind the guitar. The album continues to find the band expanding their dynamic range. This more polished side of the band proves that if they wanted to, they could play a more conventional brand of radio rock – they can come out from behind their effects without selling out. They return to a more fragile atmospheric place on “Hail on Palace Pier.” The song has a more stripped-down post punk feel as the vocals, bass and drums, become the focal point. This turn towards post punk is not surprising since some of these guys are also in Death of Lovers. This is the closest middle ground these two projects have almost met at before building into a more guitar-driven style of alt rock.
The band digs into their grunge side for “I Hate the Flowers.” This song is not pure Nirvana worship, but takes you back to that place and time. “The Carpenters Son” embarks on a more delicate drift into the clouds. Compared to the more compact punch of what they take on earlier in the album this still sounds pleasant, but sacrifices some of the momentum. Their bass player is so good, to the point that any song where he is not holding the core together feels like it is not among their best work. “Hope is Just Another Word With a Hole in It” is a balance of rock drive and ambiance from the surreal guitar tones. It floats around, teasing you without hooking you in. This still falls well within the range of what fans would expect from these guys . Despite drifting off at the end, this album is a solid return to for the band, one that’s earned multiple listens on my end, and I foresee many more. Satisfying for fans of the band, while showing a matured sense of song writing and expanding their sonic color choices.
NOTHING 2018 tour
🤒Fri/Sep-07 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel🤒Sat/Sep-08 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop🤒Sun/Sep-09 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups🤒Tue/Sep-11 Detroit, MI The Shelter🤒Wed/Sep-12 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
🤮Thu/Sep-13 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
🤮Fri/Sep-14 Kansas City MO Record Bar
🤮Sat/Sep-15 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
🤮Tue/Sep-18 San Jose, CA The Ritz
🤮Wed/Sep-19 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
🤮Thu/Sep-20 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater
🤮Sat/Sep-22 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
🤮Sun/Sep-23 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge
😵Tue/Sep-25 Dallas, TX Club Dada
😵Wed/Sep-26 Austin, TX Mohawk
😵Thu/Sep-27 Houston, TX Secret Group
😵Sat/Sep-29 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
😵Sun/Sep-30 Durham, NC Motorco Music Hall
😵Fri/Oct-05 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
😵Sat/Oct-06 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
😵Sun/Oct-07 Boston, MA The Sinclair
