No Metal In This Battle – Ours (2015)

There are only a few situations when a pocket can be a bad thing, and they include the unexpectedly molten contents of a freezer pastry, as well as when it is important to carry things (like keys) and wear women’s pants at the same time. Otherwise, its a welcome concept in most contexts, music especially.

Luxembourg’s No Metal in this Battle has an interesting way of navigating the pocket. A strong afro-pop element creates a heartbeat in each of their songs on their newest release Ours, and pianos are glittery across the top, nicely complementing the surrounding landscape of reverb-drenched guitars. When the above elements are paired with skittering drums, and stomping bass, the result is a sound that prompts the same feeling of looking out the window at an oasis during a long drive through the desert. As listeners, we are being rewarded for taking time to make our way somewhere. They know where we’re going, but they aren’t telling us.

They first showed us their fangs with The Husky Tape back in 2012, which was recorded live in a single session. Ours, also recorded live, sounds like it was marinating for a bit longer, but not quite long enough to lose the sound of sweat and vigor. In the interim, it sounds as though they took a step up in terms of chops, production, and restraint. NMitB has presented us with an excellent example of knowing when to rein things in, because its all about the journey, right?