Native takes on Indiana music scene with Wrestling Moves
South Bend based indie rockers Native will be releasing their new album Wrestling Moves on October 30 in a small cramped basement of Chicago called Summer Camp, and this will be a show for the ages.
On a first listen to Native’s newest record, I was immediately impressed at (firstly) the quality of the new record. After listening to We Delete; Erase a few hundred times it was rather refreshing being able to hear lead vocalist Bobby Markos quite well. Native spent three months in writing and preparation for this album, then traveled to Seattle, Washington to spend 10 days recording at Red Room Studios.
The album is energetic yet controlled throughout the entire album, yet you never quite know what the 4-piece will throw at you at any given point in time. Right out of the gate Backseat Crew gets the energy level set high as drummer Nick Glassen let’s loose to start the song off. Native has a great feel for how to deliver passion and energy, whether it be live or on the record. The album is just as fast paced and laced with perfectly timed breakdowns just as I had hoped, but then I was absolutely floored by Five Year Payoff. The music slows down, Markos’ voice relaxes, and it creates what is, in my opinion, the highlight of the album.
“A lot of different things went into the song writing, but we wanted to make sure all the parts fit perfectly, like a puzzle, rather than do anything flashy for the hell of it.” says guitarist Ed ‘O Neill. “The main objective of the album, as far as I am concerned was to show where we were musically now, rather than a year ago. We have all grown in so many ways, and I just hoped that the music would be able to represent that.” ‘O Neill continues.
To think that such a powerful record could come from a band that formed only two years ago in the summer of 2007 is rather astounding. It’s quite clear that these guys have all worked their asses off for everything they’ve gotten, and for a band only two years into their career to be signed to Sargent House Records with the likes of Maps & Atlases, This Town Needs Guns and Tera Melos deserves recognition all in itself.
The album will be available at all of Native’s shows and the digital version will be available at Sargent House Records‘ website on October 30. The CD will officially be available on January 26, 2010, which is when you’ll find it on iTunes and all major digital stores. It will also pre-release at http://native.bandcamp.com starting October 28.
Written by Lucas Carter