Relocated from Oregon to Washington due to forest fires, Terra Nobody shows an eclectic mix of art pop and alt rock music on their debut EP! Discussing a myriad of different themes ranging from anxiety to social injustice, the young band is already proving its ambitions in its early stages.
Opening up with a swell of strings and pianos like doves flying out of a magician’s hat, Inconsequential slams us to the ground with lyrics establishing boundaries against sexual harassment. Accompanied with punk guitars, bass, and drums, this track shows defiance towards the unfortunate, toxically-masculine culture that our society normalizes. The combination of ethereal and realistic textures (on this song and the EP in general) are astounding.
Waking up in the morning staring into the bathroom mirror, Hurry Up & Wait depicts the day to day life of the America everyman exploited under capitalism. Longing for an escape that feels unreachable, the tune has an anthem drive similar to Katy Perry’s Eye of the Tiger. The contrast between the verse and chorus is also a nice gear shift that fits the lyric “I don’t want to be a cog in the machine” nicely adding to the unescapable feels.
The lead single Bite the Bullet details video footage of gun violence happening in the US. Embodying the frightening and dire consequences, the song calls out a cry for action. The dark yet upbeat energy of this track helps keep its message strong without a second of doubt. This is yet another great example of the band using a mixture of contrasting elements to create music that’s both reality-based and surreal.
Toxic takes a minimalist route with dark synth-bass, spacious guitars, metallic precision, and gorgeous vocals wailing over everything glueing the jigsaw puzzle together. Every piece falls into place on the chorus saying “freedom isn’t free”. Perhaps this song is about control or escaping an abusive relationship (it’s left ambiguous), but the use of production holds a lot of weight by giving the song a disjointed character.
Floating outside of gravity, Reckless lifts us off our feet with a positive message of taking risks. The sounds on this mix are light and jumpy with no sense of inhibitions or footing. This light-hearted track is a great pallet cleanser from the serious subject matter on previous material. With a left-felid party banger like this, who can predict how this EP will wrap up?
Last but certainly not least, the funk groove of Smooth Velocity sounds like going off on a high note! This jam has a solid disco theme all held together by punctual bass and thrashing drums. Laced on top are some lovely synth droplets and ska guitar. The puppy love feelings are at an all time high throughout, but it peaks at a vertigo-inducing, ambient, drum and bass bridge before sending us back to the contagious hook one final time.
Even on their premier, I can see a bright future and realized potential for Terra Nobody. Their craftsmanship that’s both politically relevant and commercially accessible is inspiring. The mix of electronic and live timbres throughout gives it a multi-media type color unique to the band that make it all the more joyous to listen to. I see much success and grand ambitions on the horizon for this group and look forward for more music to emerge!
8.5/10