New Terminus

The word “familiar” can be used to describe music in negative and positive ways. New Terminus, a band from Atlanta, GA, sounds exceedingly familiar to me. And fortunately, I mean that in an unusually positive way. Development,the band’s new EP, has been wandering around in my head like a memory discovering its true identity as a new experience. New Terminus use all the same tones, chords, rhythms, and hooks that make (un)popular rock music from the ‘60s-‘90s one of the most intriguing and consistent forces in my life, but they do it masterfully, without taking too much from too few influences.

While there are too many reference points on Development to name, I feel these songs can be separated into two teams, as there are two distinct types of songs among the four. Team one is “Solution #4” and “Where we Meet.” These songs sound like Built to Spill playing early Sunny Day Real Estate, but with more straightforward rhythms. This side of the band sees them transitioning seamlessly between pretty, chiming guitar arpeggios and fuzzy leads. The drummer and bassist keep the excellence a standard by playing thoughtful and confident parts that never seem overwrought. Team two is “Every Day” and “Sunshine Delay.” These songs fall more on the pop side of the spectrum, and are equally impressive. Here, New Terminus combines historical pop-rock reverence with vigorous indie rock sensibilities the way Material Issue and Velvet Crush did in the early ‘90s. “Every Day” is probably my favorite song of the bunch, and could have been a hit in a better age.

The variety of ideas, and quality of execution, makes me think this is a band whose members spend just as much time talking about and listening to records as they do rehearsing. And it sounds like they do more than their fair share of both. The familiar elements on Development are born of what is clearly a love of the experiences, reflections, and inspirations that make creativity—musical or otherwise—lucrative. It sounds familiar because, like the records this band draws from, this EP is worth listening to. This is not the kind of band that is going to take over the indie world, but I think there are more than enough fans of guitar-driven pop to ensure this band finds the audience they deserve. At least I hope so, because I want to hear much more from New Terminus. - Sock Monkey Sound

Releasing just about anything the same day Radiohead comes out with a new record is never the best marketing strategy but New Terminus doesn’t seem to care. The Atlanta four-piece have been circling around the fringes of the Atlanta scene for the past year, doing things on their own DIY terms and steadily building their fan base with a dynamic mix of guitar-driven indie rock and infectious power pop. Their new EP is called Development and it features four catchy tunes brimming with chiming guitars and crisp vocal melodies. “Where We Meet” is probably my favorite of the bunch and you can download or stream it in the player below. The self-produced, self-released effort is the follow-up to last year’s debut EP, Vol. 1, and is available for purchase on the group’s Bandcamp page. - Latest Disgrace

Releasing just about anything the same day Radiohead comes out with a new record is never the best marketing strategy but New Terminus doesn’t seem to care. The Atlanta four-piece have been circling around the fringes of the Atlanta scene for the past year, doing things on their own DIY terms and steadily building their fan base with a dynamic mix of guitar-driven indie rock and infectious power pop. Their new EP is called Development and it features four catchy tunes brimming with chiming guitars and crisp vocal melodies. “Where We Meet” is probably my favorite of the bunch and you can download or stream it in the player below. The self-produced, self-released effort is the follow-up to last year’s debut EP, Vol. 1, and is available for purchase on the group’s Bandcamp page. - Latest Disgrace - Moe Castro

"New Terminus don’t give off the impression that they’re trying to reinvent guitar-driven indie rock, they just sound like they want play it really well. Their guitar tone is clean, the choruses crunch, those choruses follow verses. There’s nothing on their debut EP that you haven’t heard before, but that’s actually part of the appeal... Of the three songs here, “Ancient Photograph” is probably the standout. It knows when to lean on the accelerator and hits a nice peak somewhere around the bridge. On “It Seems Obscene” the band resembles a mellower Dismemberment Plan, but that could just be because singer Jonathan Sleep sounds like a dead ringer for Travis Morrison. “Girl Like Her” starts off pretty textbook, but the instrumental midsection is a satisfying approximation of Superchunk." - Little Advances

I was impressed with this track right off the opening. Maybe I'm just a fan of that over-panned guitar intro thing... when the band comes crashing in it's just enough to make me want to kick my desk over.

The guitar tones and some of the cool runs reminded me of a Canadian band called "Treble Charger". If there's any Cannucks out there from metro Toronto, you'll love this stuff.

This has got to be one of the best performances I've heard on garageband.com, and I don't feel I'm a pushover. In general, I hear crap on this site, or songs with potential. It's very rare to hear a track that's reached it's potential. This one has. It's really that good. Here's why...

Songwriting: Break-up love songs are dime a dozen. So, if you're going to write one, it's gotta be something the listener can identify with. The lyrics here are accessable and the chorus is catchy. Big vocal hooks mixed with a sweet guitar bend that won't leave my head.

Performance: Awesome. The two very distinct guitar parts complement each other well and the bassist and drummer lock in a nice groove. It's hard to write lines that feel like this. The drums and bass are so loose, yet tight. It's a great groove. (The bass player's a rock, too. Excellent timing)

Vocals: All on their own, this singer's voice is distinct and memorable. No screaming is needed. the vocalist can convey tons of emotion without screaming. I LOVE that.

To wrap up this review:

This track is excellent. Perfect. Please change NOTHING. If you download 1 track from this site this year, make it this one. - Garageband.com