New Vision releases “Somewhere On This Timeline” - Review
On May 26, Hudson Valley-based band New Vision released their new six-song EP “Somewhere On This Timeline.” The EP follows their 2022 debut project “With Love.”
The opening track and highlight “Everlasting” starts with a light distorted synth in the background amidst the spare strums of isolated guitar chords. Starting with heartfelt lyrics (“Went upstate for a trip / Sweet idleness / Intertwine yourself around me / There’s nowhere else that I’d rather be than right here with you, right now”), the song explodes into a grunge-esque track when the chorus hits. It sets a tone that is reminiscent of early 2000s pop-punk tracks from the likes of Paramore and their peers. The song ends by fizzing down into a mid-tempo spin-off of the previous chorus.
“Loss Of Soul,” the project’s most popular track to date on Spotify, continues this grunge sound for an upbeat song reminiscing on time and how it seems to be slipping away. Lead singer Nico Caro sings, “Yeah I feel a loss of soul / I feel like I’ve missed my goal.” The song’s contemplative lyrics are set to an uptempo rock beat consisting of heavy drum beats and electric guitar flurries. Perhaps one of the best moments on the EP comes from the track’s bridge, where the guitar is stripped back amidst a chant of “Rejection is just redirection.”
Third track “Chokehold” infuses a summery guitar riff in between the almost-yells of the choruses. The end breaks the directness of the beat down to a slower section still supported by the emotion behind the words, such as “Caught me in a chokehold / Life feels like a snow globe.”
On “Home,” a personal favorite from the project, is a lower-tempo cut that retains the same amount of intrigue as the EP’s more upbeat tracks. The production is dark and scathing, reminiscent of ‘90s shoegaze classics. There are little production choices throughout that make it stand out. Sounds of heavily-distorted and reverbed guitar strums follow lyrics like “Bit off more than I can chew / I think it’s time that I go home now,” which is repeated throughout. Using ominous electronic noises add to the lyrics of worry, perfectly enhancing the tone of the track.
“Forfeit” continues the project’s lyrical themes of struggling with one’s self and those around them. A highlight throughout some of the tracks, like this one, is when the band ricochets from tempo to tempo with ease. They go from an upbeat rock song to a mid-tempo one and vice versa without missing a beat. “Take me out / I see the red dot, take your best shot,” Caro sings.
The last track “Silver Tongue” closes one of the project’s concepts of a toxic relationship of some kind between two people. The love that was described as “everlasting” in the opener fades into a bleak one as “Somewhere On This Timeline” develops. It describes this situation as having “no hope” behind a drilling almost-siren of guitar wails. The song closes out the EP with guitar static that comes to an abrupt (but fulfilling) end.
Across their new project, New Vision blurs genre boundaries. “Somewhere On This Timeline” treads grunge, indie rock, and even shoegaze at points, cementing the band as one that is evolving and only getting better as they go.