We are so excited to premiere the expansive and groovy LP from The North Country entitled America And Afterwards today on P&W. The Washington D.C. experimental-pop group were hesitant to release this album due to the unrest in this country; but we are so glad they did as the album is not only catchy song after song, but also has relevant topics of pressing issues that surround us all.
The North Country
While America And Afterwards is rooted in the electro-pop genre with massive synths dominating most songs, the attitude and aura changes track to track and why we keep hitting repeat. Starting with a highly danceable “Future Humans” the album sets its pace with a funky groove and a catchy chorus. “Signs And Wonders” is a meandering and wavy slow groove which is followed by one of our favorite tunes on the LP called “Freaks” that has soaring vocals and a jangly guitar we can’t resist.
“Don’t Quit Your Day Job” is a full-spectrum dose of indie-rock that has a hook that won’t quit and with lines like “And you…you’re so outrageous…so Instagram famous…down on my knees” has us chuckling at the relevance. The North Country slows it up a bit in “Running Around” and the extremely candid and personal lyrics really can be felt. We almost feel like we’re on a trip to another country with “Dune” which is a sweeping song with incredible backup vocals that feel airy and expansive. “Open For Business” is the oddball of the LP and is a quirky spoken-word jaunt with a line that repeats “Everybody knows the flood is coming.”
“The Flood” is the rocker of the bunch and with its tight bass-line and urgent lyricism really gets our feet tapping. The second to last track “In The Woods” is arguably the album’s best song and with warbly-synths and epic background vocals; takes notice with the American dream, or more precisely, the fading reality of such a thing. America And Afterwards ends with the peppy and satisfying “Chains Of Love (On Prisoners Of War).”
We think America And Afterwards is one of the years’ best efforts and lucky for everyone the band is planning a special livestream for the LP on July 12th over on Facebook so RSVP HERE.
“When our tour down to SXSW was canceled by the pandemic, we seriously considered pulling our album release, but ultimately figured what better time to release an album about the collapse of America and rebuilding in the image of our ideals than now? This album is an honest look at the present and a hopeful look to the future. It is a direct call to reject the racist, misogynist, and capitalist relics of our past, and engage with the future with empathy, understanding, imagination and optimism.” – Andrew Grossman
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Article: Shayne Hanley
