Local Airwaves is your source for the lowdown on tracks soon to be heard on WKNC. This week’s album is “Need to Feel Your Love” by Sheer Mag.
If you elect not to count the band’s recent release of the compilation of their first three EP’s as an album, “Need to Feel Your Love” marks Sheer Mag’s official debut. As of right now, the album is not officially out; it releases on July 14, to the group’s bandcamp page and presumably to Spotify. Although the band seems to be releasing singles and prior releases to spotify currently, their unofficial catalogue of EP’s (“I,” “II,” and “III,” all released separately and later compiled) were available for a significantly longer amount of time before finally being released on spotify, so it’s a bit of a toss up as to whether or not the new album will premier on spotify in a timely manner. Regardless, the album is currently available for streaming on NPR’s first listen website, which is how I’ve been able to experience it.
So, I’ve been following this band for a while; although this is their debut, the band has been independently releasing EP’s for the last two years or so, all about six months apart from each other. At the onset, with EP’s “I” and “II,” I was obsessed with Sheer Mag. They had, and still have, a fairly unique sound that’s both a tribute to classic rock and a stylistic, refined approach to lofi modern garage rock. They were extremely easy to identify, and at the time those EP’s stood out as a work of brilliance to me. “I” and “II” still hold up incredibly well, with some very catchy, vaguely southern, aggressive and raw tracks that perfectly epitomized what the band should sound like. And so with bated breath, I waited for the release of their next endeavor that turned out to be the EP “III.”
Never in my life have I experienced a turnaround so extreme in a band’s discography without them having changed anything about their sound. The EP sounded exactly the same stylistically, but the joy just wasn’t there for me. Nothing had improved, nothing had gotten worse, it was just more of the same. And the charm had worn thin. Despite this, I was able to enjoy the EP, and put aside my feelings of disdain, dismissing them as being unjust. After all, it was just another EP, right? A band this young shouldn’t be expected to change their sound drastically before even releasing their first album. Minor improvement is anticipated, but not necessarily required.
And so I having digested the entirety of what I could experience with “III,” I cautiously approached this album with an open mind. Sadly, I found yet again more of the same. The same style, the same general sound, the same production, the same combination of the same instrumentals, the same emotions, and the same general speed and tempo for each song. Yes, even the songs all sound about the same, not just the general sound of the album; every song is in the same key, with the same chords, with the same simple, somewhat clunky lyrics.
“Need to Feel Your Love” is utterly devoid of improvement, experimentation, or anything new for Sheer Mage. Their songs no longer feel like a series of vibrant new entries into the indie garage rock scene. The emotion doesn’t feel genuine. This album is like a Big Mac at your favorite local grill; maybe it was painstakingly created and seared to perfection, but it still tastes like that mass produced garbage on some level.
If that sounds harsh, it’s probably the disappointment talking. Sheer Mag has quickly gone from contender of the year for me to biggest let-down of the last five years. I expected so much more from them, and yet here we are with something so formulaic that I don’t think I can listen to this album twice in one sitting and tell where the first playthrough ends and the second begins. The album has its moments, with somen nice riffs here and there and some decent vocals, but it doesn’t outweigh just how boring it truly is. At its core, this album is the Sonic equivalent of the pink-goo that goes into a mass produced patty. No substance, no thrills. Just a cheap, thoroughly consistent ride.
However, if you’re a Sheer Mag fan, and “III” wasn’t a disappointment to you and you can stand to swallow yet another Big Mac of an album, then by all means disregard this review. If all you want is more of the same, then you can have exactly that. But for me, my patience with this band has worn thin. I know that most other reviews right now err positive, and surely plenty of DJ’s will still enjoy these tracks. Yes, you can enjoy this album perfectly well; I just wouldn’t tell you to expect anything below surface level.
