An abrasive, discordant noise followed by an almighty explosion of sound opens the new tune from Newcastle, Australia quartet Stagger. Ever is part shoegaze, part alt-rock, part post-punk, and entirely awesome in its ambition and execution.
Due to the noise, it feels, on first impression, rather chaotic, but actually – listen closer – it’s all clearly carefully considered. From the bouncy bass to the gritty guitars to the tight, taut drums and the soaring, otherworldly vocals, everything is in its right place.
Taking inspiration from modern bands like Turnstile, English Teacher, and Wolf Alice, as well as we’d suggest, legacy acts like Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer – this is an excellently crafted rock odyssey. There’s also an undeniably poppy undertone throughout that makes the whole thing eminently listenable. To us, this aspect of the song feels particularly indebted to pop/rock acts like Haim, The Beths, and even Paramore.
At times, Ever feels epic. In other moments, it seems like it could all fall apart any second. Sometimes it seems like both these things at the same time. But all the while it’s unequivocally compelling and delivered with inarguable conviction and palpable confidence.
Only the band’s third-ever song, you can’t help but feel they just need to continue heading in this direction.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
