On Saturday, I spent two hours musing about the people milling around the town outside, with the Lady Luck EP in the background. I never thought to turn it off for my window-watching. They must have got something right. Released last week, Nature TV is back in an all new series of that hit serial show for you to enjoy, with all your classic characters returning.
‘Hometown’ was released last month as lead single. It’s up-tempo. You can dance to it if you want to. This feels like a song for all the shy fellows out there. It’s a song about not being as bold as one’s peers. “If you met brother, baby/ You could clearly see/ I’m not much the man it takes to take you home with me.” It’s an honest, vulnerable truth about young men. We need more songs like this. This is important.
‘Leaving Earth Behind’ was difficult to review. I got so into the music that I never paid attention to the lyrics! This is a proper bop, from the first bar when the auto-wah guitars come in. You know it’s serious. The rhythm section do themselves proud, too. Rock-solid, but ever-evolving drums and walking, talking bass lines really make this track. An awesome pairing complimenting a wicked lead section.
‘Solid Door’ changes things up. The first line catches you: “I don’t see you anymore.” A moody, maybe frustrated song about being locked out of love. The biggest moment of this track is the tempo change. What was a focussed, driven track becomes dreamy and airy. It gets smaller and slower. Great contrast.
‘Lady Luck’ speeds things up again. There is buckets full of groove here. It feels apt that a track about hopeless, unreturned obsession is the title track for the EP. It feels wistful, longing. Big wholesome keys and a tight, precise bass lay the groundwork for vocals and guitar to fight with nostalgia swords. My personal pick from this EP.
‘The Whole World Drifts Away’ ends the record on a passionate moment of melancholy. “He longs to relax, and he lives to rely on somebody else.” In an interview recently, the band told me that they thought sincerity is making a comeback in music. It will do if they keep writing like that. Great words.
My biggest complaint about the Lady Luck EP is that it feels a little safe! I’m lucky to have listened to Nature TV for a while, and you can recognise them pretty quickly. There is a ‘Nature TV sound.’ And whilst I love it, I wonder what else they could do. I wonder what a curveball would look like for these guys? What would happen if they ripped up their own rule book for one project?
Guys, if you know the answer, then get back to me…
But all-in-all, this is a great little EP. Another 20 minute instalment of watching the DVD logo ping around the CRT television in your bedroom. So familiar, so strangely nostalgic.
Nature TV’s new EP, Lady Luck is out now on Heist or Hit – available to Stream/Purchase here.
