Album Review: The By Gods – Move On

Nashville’s The By Gods were born from a potent blend of musings on small town religion, depression, terrorist attacks, celebrity deaths, global politics and the social media reaction to all those events, Move On is the sound of a band trying to come to terms with their own ever-changing and strange reality, the album was written during the last presedential election which acted as a backdrop for Move On. The disturbing political events of last year that inform the album are paired with an impressive hybrid soundtrack that encompasses grunge, alt rock and the noisier side of the indie spectrum, with a faint touch of The Velvet Underground in the album’s low key finale.

 

The post grunge influences are evident from the first chords of the album’ title track, the rumbling bass line gives way to a crunching overdriven guitar riff, every track on Move On recalls the sonic assault that characterised the best bands from the grunge and alternative scenes of the late eighties and early nineties. The By Gods are a band whose influences are worn proudly on their sleeves, the haunting elements that characterised some of the Pixies finest recordings are present along with dissonance and energy of Nirvana and the hooks of the Foo Fighters early recordings, but whilst the album’s inspiration is obvious The By Gods have taken this soundtrack and produced something that is very much their own.

 

It could be argued that Move On is something of a throwback, but when an album is this accomplished I don’t care in the slightest, I haven’t encountered a band that delivers this kind of energising high energy slacker soundtrack in a long long time. With their third album The By Gods have undoubtedly produced their finest release to date, with Move On they seem to have perfected the sound that they have been developing over their first two albums. Dark and tumultuous political times are often said to inspire some of the best music, The By Gods are living proof of this as Move On is an album that sits amongst the best releases I’ve heard this year.

 

Move On is set for release on the 20th October and can be pre-ordered here