Label: Moth Noise
Released: 7th January 2022 (moved from original release date of 1st October 2021)
“Nobody can miss you if you’re never gone,” Fred Macpherson observes on the lead single of Spector’s overdue third album. Energised by a run of EPs that contained some of their best ever material and inspired a triumphant tour in late 2019, the indie heroes return with ‘Now or Whenever’, their most direct collection of songs, described by the band as both a sequel and a reboot.
With live drums recorded to tape and Jed Cullen’s guitars pushed right to the front of the mix, Spector set out to mimic their live show with a setlist of brand new songs. To that end, the attention grabbing ‘Catch You On The Way Back In’ sets the tempo with a pulsing beat and elegant hook. ‘Funny Way of Showing It’ provides a pause to take some fluids onboard, ‘I’m Not Crying You’re Crying’ borrows some ‘Tranquility Base’ jazz chords before ‘Bad Summer’ picks the pace up for an excellent encore segment, which even includes an uncharacteristic lighters in the air acoustic number.
After an enforced eighteen months away, the Moth Boys have emerged from their chrysalis having swollen their already enviable setlist with a clutch of new bangers to parade on their autumn tour; time to get in the mixer.
