Nomura’s Self Titled Debut
Ever felt like you’ve heard a band that feels it belongs to a genre but when you go to place them you just can’t? Well this is the perfect description for Nomura’s self titled LP.
The band consists of Calum Newbiggin on guitar and Vocals, Jack Chapman on Bass and Liam Scott on drums.
After playing the south coast for a couple of years, the three piece from Southampton have finally got their genius down onto a nine track LP. It proves to be an intense ride of emotion, ending with you completely engulfed, as it drags you along from song to song.
The album was recorded at The Ranch Production House by Neil Kennedy and Steve Bega.
One of the many things that make Nomura so distinct is the sheer versatility in their music.
The album opens with theIR track 1X2. With its real pumping beat it resembles something out of the alternative rock scene from Seattle. Once Calum breaks into his solo it could easily be mistaken for one of Mike McCready’s of Pearl Jam. As the album goes on it twists and turns from fast pace funk to smooth rock ballads, to pop.
After 1X2 you feel yourself bobbing along to the rock ballad that is Better Tmes and then straight into the appropriately named third track, Free. A song with such a huge sound and distinct grove it’s how you’d imagine Led Zeppelin would sound if they took crack and wrote P-Funk. The song builds a sense of un-easement with the fast pace funk and chorus screaming “Wanna be me! So let me be free!”
Then there’s a mellow change with the appearance of the first pop song on the album, Distortion Eyes. This slow paced song is truly beautiful simplicity, with it picking up into Nomura’s unique sound of thumping bass lines and hard hitting drums, to then only flow back into the smooth pop rhythm and melancholy lyrics.
It then bleeds into the atmospheric cry for help of Sweet Ivy. The feeling of loneliness shoots through you as visions of being in a void of nothingness creeps up. This carries on until the transition from depression to anger bursts forwards with the single line “So lonely here, without you.” is repeated, every time becoming more on the edge, until it falls off.
No need to worry as once these lads are done with this beautiful bring down it’s back into some more pop beats with the next three tracks: Vibrations, Another Flame and So Good.
These three bring you out of the darkness and into the summer sun, with a pop rock take that’s like the early Foo Fighters. They’re short, sweet, and to the point.
It then ends with their track Exhale, another appropriately named track. But don’t feel like it’s time to relax just yet, there’s still one last chance for these three to make a memorable last impression. It begins with a dirty grove which develops into a simple rhythm, then slowly grows into a heavier riff that sounds like something from Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger. It’s as if rock, blues, and pop had an orgy and this song is their baby.
From Left: Liam Scott, Calum Newbiggin, Jack Chapman
Throughout the album subjects like angst, loneliness, and the feeling of being lost or trapped are projected. There’s no specifics to whether this is towards people or some form of object/substance, as the lyrics feel quite metaphoric.
Due to the versatility of the group and the wide range of genres this album spans, it’s hard to nail it down. The most logical answer is one that was jokingly put forward by the group, “Stoner Pop”.
The construction of the physical album is a collaboration of the band and close friends. The artwork was contributed by Olly Hall and the design work by Joe Williams. There’s a special thanks to Steve Chapman on the back, who paid for the sessions at the Ranch.
Overall the album is a work of art and a complete success. They’ve really connected and created a tight, established sound, which is surprising for debut.
For anyone interested in checking out more of Nomura there are links below to a number of pages, where you can find more news on the group and also where you download these tracks.
https://www.facebook.com/NomuraBands/info
https://twitter.com/NomuraMusic
https://soundcloud.com/uknomura
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