Dutch Criminal Record return once again with the summery, vibrant, and stylistically uplifting sound which has seen them gain widespread acclaim. Describing their sound as ‘Sophisticated-Beach-Indie’, the trios blend of jangly tones and layers of vibrant melodic hooks shines bright as ever on the new single ‘Now or Never’.
Opening with a bright, picky guitar riff, the track slides into the buoyant rhythms of the opening riff with tight drums, strummed acoustics and plucky bass. Stripping into the verse, the boxy, lightly distorted lead vocals enter, soaked in reverb, offering a layer of melancholy over the otherwise vibrant and upbeat instrumentation.
Shifting into it’s simplistic yet instantly catchy chorus, the bands beach indie side shines through as bright harmonies float above the busy guitar backing. As the track continues to grow it climaxes with an explosive wall of cymbals and guitar, capturing the energy the band deliver in their live shows.
Speaking on the track, Sam Thrussell, vocalist and writer of the track explains: “’Now or Never’ began life very differently – as a little acoustic guitar demo I made. I used a tuning that I had adapted from a John Fahey piece I was learning at the time (DGDF#AD) and was inspired by M. Ward’s ‘The First Time I Ran Away’! I showed the band and they both were adamant it could be adapted into a full band DCR tune, which is where we added the dreamy intro and the heavy (by our standards) rock out at the end! The song itself is about acknowledging your mistakes and shortcomings and hopefully becoming a better person from that as a result.”
Listen below:
