“Machines” by Paradise Now, Friday, March 19, 2021

 

For all of my fantasies about an alternate reality in which I decided to peruse music after high school, the state of the music industry during COVID is certainly something I’m glad I never had to deal with. Imagine being a new band in 2019, releasing your first EP which has earned enough hype to put you on a big tour with a veteran band, only to have that tour canceled. That’s what happened to Welsh brothers Sam and Ben Taylor and their friend Nathan Beaton of Paradise Now. The tour with Disciple may have been canceled, but depending on the state of Covid, they will return to the States with the Juliana Theory.

IT’S GETTING OLD. A listen to Paradise Now’s Supernatural is a bit confusing. Sometimes it’s hard rock that gets a little soft with poppy electronic elements like the title track and “Anvmals.” Their hit single “Baptist” plays with a Steve-Milleresque synth intro before taking a hard rock turn. “WildOnes” sounds like a Hillsong track until the chorus turns up the electric guitars and the bass. Perhaps the most generic track on the EP is this one, which makes me think of a typical active rock band in the early ‘00s like Trapt. All in all, I wonder, if this band survives the COVID odds, what to expect from them. They seem like they are doing Christian rock, which has been out of vogue since the mid '00s. Yet, with their Christian rock radio hits, they seem to bee a step ahead of promising young artist that appear on Tooth & Nail with a promising EP or LP, only to disappear from the roster. Another possibility of this band is to go the way of Thousand Foot Krutch and gain support in mainstream rock. Only time will tell.

WE'RE BETTER NOW. I'm still 50-50 on whether this EP or even this band is good. But "Machines" is a track that I started listening to on my playlists last year. It may not be catchy the first time you listen to it, but after a few days of it appearing in my playlist, I found myself humming it on my walk back from work. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. The lyrics about being wrong and rethinking your position combined with Sam Taylor's earnest vocals meeting a well produced modern rock track make this song stand out to me. As Taylor pleads for the listener to reserve their judgment on coming up with a better answer, I feel like that's the journey culture has been on as we come to understand equality. This may be putting words in the band's mouth as I have no idea about their affiliations. But still, I like this song because it talks about processing and admitting that you were wrong about something.