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Did Cog get back together and no one bothered to tell me? They have a new song out called Trust Trust and man it is good. Yet upon closer inspection, whilst the vocals are suitably epic, Gower’s signature growl is missing. Here on offer is a hint of a snarl, but they soar freely. Thrown together with some thumping percussion and suitably delayed guitars and you’ve got Trust Trust, the latest effort from New Zealand’s Knives At Noon.
Dunedin’s own Knives At Noon are back from their indefinite hibernation armed with a more mature sound on their strong new track Trust Trust.
First things first, Knives At Noon is undoubtedly one of the coolest band names ever. It sounds like the working title for one of the Sergio Leone’s Dollars films. The band hail from Dunedin in our fair sister country of New Zealand, which is a breeding ground for wickedly talented musicians. The four piece came together in in 2007, jamming together before seriously knuckling down in 2010 to release their EP Glitter Guts. However, strife within the Knives At Noon camp resulting in a split in 2012. Thankfully time heals all wounds as the boys reunited in 2014 and began to lay down tracks once again.
After a chance meeting keyboardist Oli Wilson had with a UK-based producer/engineer named Brendan Davies in Thailand, the boys had found the man to help shape their new batch of tunes for their yet to be named EP. Trust Trust is our first taste of those efforts and judging from this the partnership between the two parties was solid. With a band like Knives At Noon, who deal in alternative rock whilst delving into a bit of synth, it would be easy to keep things nice and polished, a la Dead Letter Circus. Whilst the production is undeniably clean there is still a bit of grit to be found in the track to give it some levity.
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Vocalist Tim McCartney’s vocals are clean cut and crisp as he ponders the sweet and sour elements that come with relationships. By the time we reach the chorus his voice becomes a little more robust, which carries an air of familiarity for fans of the dearly departed Cog. The guitars are an eclectic collection of frenzied riffs that paints the themes of Trust Trust well, resonating with the conflicted nature of what it takes to be in a relationship. The drums punch their way through the song, again adding to that hint of grit which aids the track in taking a solid stance rather than coming off as another floaty indie-pop song.
While not as boppy as their old material, Trust Trust is a solid return for the Dunedin band. If it’s anything to go by Trust Trust is hopefully an indicator that the EP will be full of the same mature, rocking tunes.
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