The Last Year
Written By: Hunter MacLeod
Soundscapes and memories surged in my mind the first time I heard them. A discernible bygone memory intertwined with a distinctive, up-to-date, and fresh current flowing through the music. I thought of Kim Wilde. I heard a softer, more harmonious Dale Bosio of Simple Minds.I even heard a bit of Wendy James of Transvision Vamp. But, this isn’t a throwback group. I hear a lot of modern, singular, and stand out originality that corresponds to a group that is on the cusp of both breaking out as media darlings. I hear a group that could be leading the charge in new music directions. This is a group that could possibly change the present musical landscape for the better. With an amazing mix of the best of alternative rock and synth pop creates a strikingly lush and soaring composition.
The Last Year is a group that should be on the edge of stardom. There is a creative authenticity and honesty to their music and lyrics that are breath-taking and a refreshing change to most vacuous modern pop music. Front woman Niki Barr has been in the music game from the age of fifteen and has gone through a number of genres changes. Eventually she collaborated with bass/synth player Scott Ensign in the Niki Barr Band which morphed into The Last Year. Add guitarist Scott Griffin as the missing piece that changed the previous bands incarnation and add drummer BJ Kerwin and a new sound shakes out.
Their initial EP was released in August 2013 and spawned the single “Sugar” which garnered much attention. Later they released the single “Mania” in February of 2015 which also created more buzz in anticipation of the
bands first full album. They also played SXSW in 2015 in which they were named one of NPR’s Austin 100. The Last Year’s full album Static Automatic was finally released in March of this year and first single “Rush” is a stand out and has been garnering radio play and positive reviews throughout the industry. An aching ballad-like song, you can almost feel Barr’s emotional longing and thirst. “Chemical” is a beautifully haunting mix of a guitar and synth with Barr’s urgent vocal eloquence. And last, but certainly not least, is album name sake “Static Automatic”, which is about as close to an unbridled rocker. Barr gets the chance to unleash some of her rock chops, which she has shown with previous musical incarnations, this track being a personal favorite.
Beyond the music, The Next Year has done a fantastic job of intermingling sound, image, and performance that is highly entertaining, exhilarating, and fascinating to witness. When a group can take a concept from mere sound and message to create such a complete package one certainly has to stand up and notice. Barr as a front woman reminds one of possibly reaching social icon status in both voice and style; ala Debbie Harry, Madonna, or Lady Gaga depending on which generation you grew up in. If The Last Year breaks out, could we possibly see Barr-clones everywhere we go? That’s up for debate and the success of the band.
Socials:
Official Site
About Hunter:
Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding
outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around
the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the
great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene
(NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville).
One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy
Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!)
After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years
ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure
underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30
songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his
way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest.
Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many
neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the
Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts
and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal
is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole
artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can
find him!)
About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on
finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from
around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and
the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene
(NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville).
One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy
Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a
particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago
Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly
of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so
called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That
is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many
seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has
learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along
with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout
the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most
unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can
follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!)
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