Release Date: March 6, 2012
Threads is the second full album by Minnesota trio Now, Now. Originally called Now, Now Every Children, the band has recently shortened its moniker, pulled its act together and is ready for the big leagues. Threads is the kind of album that launches bands from nowhere straight to indie stardom. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but it does capture that perfect mix of cute, fun, endearing and genuine that will make people take notice.
The fourth track on Threads is called “Dead Oaks.” Listen to it right now; we can wait. Clocking in at well under two minutes, the song is hardly an investment, and it is easily the best track on this album. “Dead Oaks” perfectly demonstrates what Now, Now is all about: melancholic indie pop powered by tense guitar strums and driven forward by simple but heavy drums. The two female vocalists harmonize perfectly, and the song slowly builds dramatic tension and climaxes in a way that is bittersweet, both happy and sad.
The rest of Threads doesn’t ever quite top “Dead Oaks,” but it comes close a few times. Other album highlights include the denser “Prehistoric” and “Wolf,” which mixes things up with some eerie rolling synthesizer. Sometimes a “good” album can be devastated by one “fantastic” song, but Threads as a whole is a consistent and enjoyable listen and shouldn’t be overshadowed by one song, even if it is nearly perfect.
Part of the reason that the album holds up under this pressure is because of its strong composition: the album is both musically and thematically cohesive, and it flows together in a very natural and enjoyable way. The songs aren’t so bland that they mindlessly blend together, but the sound is consistent enough that nothing is dangerously shocking—the album follows a very logical progression and benefits as a result.
Threads also does a very good job setting a bittersweet mood that carries throughout the record and makes the collection of songs feel artistically complete. This is very impressive and something that not enough bands strive for. Particularly cool is the repeated use of the album’s title, which is a recurring word throughout the album and one that ties (pardon the pun) everything together in a full, rich way.
That being said, a few of the songs on the album are a bit forgettable. None are truly “bad,” and they never feel like album filler (because the band is clearly giving each song its all), but there are a few that don’t differentiate enough. As a result, they tend to drift toward the background. It isn’t a deal-breaker, but it is something to be prepared for.
Now, Now is a band to watch out for. Threads isn’t a perfect recording, but it does capture an emotion and retell that emotion in way that is captivating and real. There are a few real gems here, and with a little more polish, Now, Now could easily become something huge.
Now, Now – Threads tracklist:
- “The Pull”
- “Prehistoric”
- “Lucie, Too”
- “Dead Oaks”
- “Oh. Hi.”
- “But I Do”
- “Separate Rooms”
- “Thread”
- “Wolf”
- “School Friends”
- “Colony”
- “Magnet”
