Tuesday 11 February 2014

Nevermind - New Waves


Remember t.A.T.u? The faux lesbian pop band from Russia who conquered the UK charts in 2002/3 with hit singles All The Things She Said and Not Gonna Get Us, covered The Smiths, then courted further controversy by both going fully topless and showing a pregnant Yulia being shot dead in the video for Beliy Plachi? Or maybe you remember them from just a few days ago as they were one of the acts chosen to warm up the chilly crowds in Sochi before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic games?  Well, today we’re introducing a UK pop group that may not be quite as controversial as t.A.T.u but there’s a semblance of similarity in some of their songs, not necessarily in the sound, but the atmosphere they create. 

For Nevermind (a band who despite the name seem to have very little to do with Nirvana) create the same sort of troubled pop with dark synths and brilliant big crashing drums, but with a lighter vocal touch, like t.A.T.u did at their best. Want a more modern reference point? Ok, add in Kyla La Grange’s recent single Cut Your Teeth or New Zealand’s Broods who both share a similar space.

Nevermind are a four piece pop group who consist of Megan-Lilly, Coco LLoyd, Rio Hellyer and Lexi Clark. Their Facebook has one of those long wordy blurbs that manages to say very little. “Piecing together Nevermind was what we have described as the veins of fate,” is one typical sentence. We’re not sure exactly what that means but we’d hazard a guess that it involves a certain amount of music industry manufacture, but they don’t really want to tell us that. Not that we have anything against manufactured bands – when push comes to shove very few artists who achieve any level of commercial success are 100% autonomous - but if you recognise the name Coco Lloyd the chances are it’s because in her younger years she was a topless model (so she’s keeping up with t.A.T.u on that one) and was also a member of X-Factor flops Kandy Rain. Likewise drummer Lexi Clark has a musical past, in the rock group Hearts Under Fire.

But let’s not judge Nevermind on their past or how they may have been brought together. After all Girls Aloud are one of our favourite pop bands of the last decade and they didn’t spend their formative years slogging round the cider stained indie venue circuit did they?

Let’s instead focus on the music.

Nevermind’s debut EP Wide Eyed (which you can hear here) features dark  power-pop in tracks like Drinking Alone (with a ‘voices in my head’ chorus that brings those hit ‘em hard drums to the fore), sweeping fists in the air t.A.T.u dramatics and sexiness in the form of Get Wrong and a gentle piano ballad (which doesn't really hit our spot) in closing track Heaven. Then there’s our favourite song, 2 Lines, which has an arty black and white video (below) and a electronic rock pop structure which (once again) has big big drums that sound like they’ll soundtrack every air drumming session we’ll ever have until someone puts on Phil Collins tune In The Air Tonight

Throw off your mental chains, forget the past and listen to Nevermind.

Nevermind - Get Wrong



Nevermind - 2 Lines (Video)

8 comments:

Richard G said...

Not to mention that one of them was also for some time the girlfriend of LibDem MP Lembert Opik.
That's something that Nick Clegg would probably rather not be reminded of.

Richard G said...

Ignore that.
That was one of the Cheeky Girls, but talk is cheap if the story is good! I just got the wrong Easter European pop starlets!

nick said...

The band has no manager, or record label behind them, Megan Lilly also a DJ put the band together herself.
Then after changing 2 members and a producer on the way got to the sound they wanted.

They are no way manufactured and the yet to be released single is the best so far.
Thanks for Blogging and your great work.
Love your blog

Nick (Megan's father)

Breaking More Waves Blog said...

Thanks for the information Nick. Now if only your comment here could have been the biography we read for the band....

As for what is manufactured that's another debate. There's a school of thought that says that any band that is brought together by any means to make music is manufactured, although we wouldn't go that far ourselves.

However the key point here (and we hope the message was clear) was that ultimately if the band were put together by a bunch of music industry types or are just mates jamming in their front room, the most important thing is the music, and on that count Nevermind win!

Anonymous said...

One of the greatest singles of all time Toxic by Britney is manufactured pop.

Razorlight wasn't manufactured.

I rest my case.

Anonymous said...

I have heard Nevermind in practise and as a 67 year old grandfather of Megan, I think they are great with a bit of luck could go a long way I am very proud. thank you for your blog it may seam not cool granddad writing in but why not they are fantastic. Coco is like a young Debbie Harris in her ways very sexy. but don't tell Grandma
well done with your blog

Anonymous said...

I am Megan's cat. Meow.

Breaking More Waves Blog said...

Thanks Grandfather

Don't worry, we won't tell Grandma. You're secret is safe with us (and the rest of the internet)