Like a hybrid of Circa Survive and The Mars Volta with the mystique of codeseven thrown in for a little extra musical spice, The New Age deliver an emotionally charged magnum opus of a debut with Placebo.
“Wicked Friends” just gleams and shines with these synths bringing down a vocal choir that’s heavenly while “Temper” is visceral yet heartfelt presenting a sonic dichotomy as vocalist Justin Cotton slips into a sweet falsetto before the shit hits the fan with Justin Scholl and Trevor Converse schooling the kids in the art of the riff.
And that’s just the first two songs, people!
“Straight Face” is an epic and somber string-driven heart-wrencher that just goes for the, ahem, heart via your earholes as drummer James Palmore relentlessly pounds away. “Hunger” is a stop/start ballad that is, can we say epic again? There’s nary a track on Placebo that can’t be described as such. It’s true!
But I digress.
“Do We Dare” is just the ultimate treading between earnest ballad and unbridled rager while “Back And Forth” shows off Cotton’s vocal flow expertise as it builds to a banger of monumental proportions. “Upstairs” just soars and “Save Me” drives with Jayson Parsons’ bass bounce propelling the track into shred territory with these screaming solos.
“Holes in the Walls” drops after the sublime title track and is a little reminiscent of 30 Seconds to Mars but that comparison is wiped away as soon as Cotton’s roaring delivery and the staccato attacks take this epic track (Not sorry!) to even more epic (Still not sorry!) places and even MORE epic (Okay, a little overused now) conclusions.
Placebo is out now! You can get your very own by clicking here or here. For more on The New Age, including where to catch them live, head on over here.