Album Review: The Nearly Deads - We Are The Nearly Deads

I don't remember how I discovered The Nearly Deads, but I was glad I did. Their "Revenge Of The Nearly Deads" EP is one of the few over the years I've been doing this I loved enough to go back to, satisfied that five songs were enough. The singles they started putting out afterward were even better, with "Freakshow" being a nearly perfect example of a style of music I have become a bit of a sucker for. So over the last number of years, we've gotten an album of truly great melodic hard rock from The Nearly Deads, just not all at once. That is about to change.

The album kicks off with "Suffocating", which we heard as an advance single. The song is pure Nearly Deads, with some almost Munsters energy to the little guitar line through the verse, with TJ singing in a rhythmic pattern before opening up to a wonderfully melodic chorus. She sings in the bridge that she's "still trying to find [her] voice", as the band drops out. I would say she has more than done that, and it happened a while back.

There's an air of optimism that permeates these songs. TJ's voice has a natural sweetness to it anyway, but then we get "Wonderland" imploring us to take the journey to that fantastical place, whether we belong there or not, because it's worth the risk. Then "Believe" tells us to keep trying again and again, even if the work we are putting in isn't working out for us. Resilience is a difficult thing to have, and I know I have a severe lack of it. This year especially, the idea of trying in the face of failure's inertia has worn me down. The pep talk is very much welcomed.

Later, on "Home", TJ sings to us about having "midnight mass on the side of the road". With the band in full flight, and the melody soaring, it sounds like the kind of hymn worth singing. Music, at it's best, it a bit of a spiritual experience. There is something to hearing a stirring melody and singing along that brings us together, that can make us feel less alone. The communal aspect of music is unique in art forms, and it's why bands with charm are so important. Make no mistake; The Nearly Deads ooze charm.

These ten songs are all the good things the melding of pop and rock bring together. Propulsive guitars and hooky melodies work together to make music powerful enough to break through our jaded exteriors, then sharp enough to grab hold and not let go. Both sides bring energy to the mix, which makes this record a wonderful bit of sugar to push us through a hard day.

The Nearly Deads hadn't disappointed me since I first heard them, and they keep up their winning streak with this album. Getting a bigger dose doesn't dilute their power at all. If anything, hearing more of them only reinforces all their best qualities. We followed the break crumbs over these few years, and the reward is the gingerbread house that will satisfy our sweet tooth.

Clearly, The Nearly Deads still have plenty of life in them.