Review: Nevermen // Nevermen

A project devised by TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, Faith No More's Mike Patton and Doseone A.K.A Nevermen have just released their debut album, a very long awaited album at that. Having started recording in 2008 when Adebimpe and Doseone met in a Brooklyn warehouse with Patton then getting involved in the project later down the line, the self-tited LP was finally released on 20th January 2016 on Lex Records.

'Nevermen' wouldn’t be described as fitting into any particular genre, almost conceptual and alien at points, this album with its strange faded vocals, strong beats and bizarre samples floats across many genres and is an absolute feast for the ears. Dabbling in experimental hip-hop and smooth sounds with hints of indie and acoustic; at points it feels as if Elbow and Young Fathers had done a collaboration; throw a mish-mash of wind-chime and drum samples into the mix with a few eastern sounds and odd synths and then you have Nevermen. A somewhat strange mix to say the least but a mix that grabs your attention and ears with both hands and gives them a good shake.

It's one of those LP's you don't know how to actually feel about, inventive and different but distracted and seemingly random at points. That being said 'Mr Mistake', 'Tough Towns' (the two singles from the album) and 'Dark Ear' are the highlights of the LP; strong beats, catchy and different. Despite this, the rest of the album is still worth a listen because with each listen it begins to make more and more sense, songs which on first listen are seemingly random slowly piece together to reveal an underlying musical understanding.

Album Cover for 'Nevermen'

The important thing is seeing the musical influence of all 3 members on the album; the beats and hip-hop from Doseone with faded hints of TV on the Radio and in some songs like ‘Mr Mistake’ the strong sound of Faith No More comes through as well. Only once you appreciate this and the album has had time to run through your ears a few times, can you appreciate the quality of Nevermen and their debut LP.

Rating - 7.5/10

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