Hard Rock
Independent Release
Released – Out Now!!!
Genre: Hard Rock
Line Up:
Taylor-Grace – Vocals
Zander Brown – Guitar
Julie Plunkett – Bass
Ivy – Drums
Mike Essery – Drums
Emi, Vad, Tiggy and Adam – Insults on ‘Why Don’t Ya Like Me?’
Tracklist:
Norminus Sanctus
Go Hard Or Go Home
Feral
Who I Am
Family Photo
Mama
Midnight Sun
Mister Know-It-All
King Of A Wasted Land
Bad Liar
Why Don’t Ya Like Me?
Green Light
Toxic
I had the pleasure of seeing Not Now Norman perform at last year’s Call Of The Wild festival. I had to see them because I promised singer/songwriter Taylor-Grace that I would after she made a quite compelling case for the band whilst she was handing out flyers for the performance. I wasn’t to be disappointed. On talking with Taylor-Grace further, she opened up about her own battles with mental health and also told me that her guitarist, Zander Brown (her dad!) gave up playing until he heard his daughter sing. I’m sure glad he picked up the guitar again because this guy has some chops.
Opening with some Gregorian chant and tolling bell, Norminus Sanctus leads to the title track where Zander Brown shoves a beast of a riff right into your face as Taylor-Grace gives it to you large. Oh, she’s telling you about yourself alright and declaring that you should never hold back! She doesn’t. Feral is some serious social commentary about the state of this country’s education system, which has a darker vibe than Who I Am, which rips it up on a soul-baring story about her mental health battle. Zander chugs out another razor-sharp riff, and I don’t know who the drummer is, but they really drive the song. Latest single Family Photo eases back as the darkness returns on a simple groove, with Taylor-Grace showing both her range and her passion. Mama, a piano-led ballad and a wonderful tribute to all mums out there, follows. Midnight Sun kicks off on a big bad bass intro and a tribal rhythm before it gets kinda funky and pays homage to those working in the emergency services. Thank you for your service. There are some wonderful vocal melodies going on, and Zander once again shows he has the gift of the riff. Mister Know-It-All – we all know one or two – sees Taylor-Grace getting venomous, but he’s only got himself to blame! King Of A Wasted Land gets political again with another tidy line from Zander and some jangly acoustic guitar. Bad Liar plays on the suspicions of people who think they’re being cheated on – true story. Why Don’t Ya Like Me? brings some shouty, punky, middle-finger-in-the-air rock n’ roll, then Green Light is proper dumb-ass rock n’ roll before final cut Toxic brings a jagged riff and some creepy keys.
As I said, I’ve seen these guys live, and they really bring it. Taylor-Grace plays her parts as most of the songs have characters, and she plays those parts on this too. She’s backed by a tight driving rhythm section and Zander, who plays for the song despite being able to shred at will. This reminds me of my favorites Pryma and Brunhilde. It’s big, heavy with tons of great catchy melodies. Buy this, then if you haven’t already got it, buy their debut It’s Not This One, then catch them live. You will not be disappointed.
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 9/10
https://open.spotify.com/album/6jTLVxAFvwN7aG1JNHTnYV?si=L4_-3FPFQMWa8rGhkTBfng
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