Now, Now Every Children

Now, Now Every Children as a name makes no grammatical sense at all, it's the sort of name that would drive and English teacher nuts. What makes me nuts however, is just how good the music that this, apparently grammatically inept, band makes actually is. Their debut album, Cars is the sort of record Mates of State would make if they weren't married, the kind of thing the White Stripes would make if they had sweet dreams. Consisting of three previously released singles and seven brand new tracks, Cars is a record about life on the highway and all that goes along with it. It's a tense record that throws two sheets to the wind and winds up being swept up in a feral pop frenzy.

Cars is an absolutely brilliant record because despite only being a two piece the band manages to unearth hooks the size of Texas. This is the biggest small record you are likely to hear this year. Now, Now Every Children make an absolute racket, but it's done with such a pop sensibility and with such a large sound it's impossible to ignore. This is indie pop with a bruise and when Cacie Dalager sighs across every song, your heart will just about melt. This is the roughest but sweetest thing around and while Cars is as busy as a traffic jam, it never loses sight of your ears needing something they can latch on to. Be it a chorus, some sort of guitar riff, a wash of synths, or a steady drum beat, Now, Now Every Children find a way to make their tunes stick and stick well. From the lackadaisical, "Sleep Through the Summer," to the dreamy, "Headlights," Cars is as dreamy as it is absolutely adorable.

They may not make sense on paper but Now, Now Every Children make loads of musical sense. Tender and tuneful, this is a band that uses their creativity and ingenuity to come up with heartfelt material that's larger than life. Cars is a sweet record that will charm the socks off of you and it's nice to know that not every duo out there is desperate to sound like the White Stripes. Hooray for indie pop and hooray for Now, Now Every Children.