What Now
London, England, United Kingdom | SELF
Music
Press
The band began as a trio back in South Africa several years ago where they made quite a name for themselves in the music scene. However the trio wanted more so travelled to the UK's Capital for a better chance at making their dreams become reality. However things didn't turn out as they had expected and the band parted ways. What Now you may say...
A few years later the lads each explored other avenues of music but found their way back to each other, completing the band as they are today. The rebirth of What Now comes with a new sound, a fusion of indie, pop and rock with each band member having some influence over the sound that has been created for Move Like a Sinner.
The album kicks off with the fittingly titled Ready To Be Heard which holds a reminder of what this band has gone through to get to this point in their careers. The short intro initiates a build in atmosphere, distant vocals and a strong drum beat that leads into Money Maker, which is led by a groovy guitar riff. If Looks Could Kill has synth, drum rolls which play a prominent feature and introduces Ryan's backing vocal which works well alongside Tyron's lead. The title track slides in a groovy bass and a slightly darker and more seductive atmosphere ? a slower pace with a thump to the chest and concludes with a string segment. Jackson is another drum led song that results in quite a kick, although the verse vocals could have been a little tougher like the choruses which go down well. High Class is unlike anything else on the album with its groovy, jazzy melodies and a soulful chorus vocal you can't help but get swept away by.
The next two tracks, Back to Blood (part 1) and I Want My Blood (part 2), sit seamlessly as if a six minute track; Midnight Swimmers takes a placid approach with the chorus becoming one you can visualize yourself singing to; Wasting Away blends in some electronica; Should've Said So features a notable bass line and another huge chorus; Animalbuilds on the lead vocal as they become a main feature alongside the harmonies and then the album concludes with Lovers & Liars, a track that begins with an almost tribal call and ends on a high.
Although there are some parts to the album that don't sound particularly original, there are other creations that make for quite an interesting listen. There are experimental sounds, plays with electronica, indie, pop and rock vibes and the occasional string input as well as some huge sing a long choruses and powerful riffs. These three musicians are obviously enthusiastic and talented and while there is no stand out tracks, there is also none that fail to be as entertaining as others. All that is left to say is after such a great listen...What Now? - Roomthirteen
The opening track to What Now’s second full-length album, Move like a Sinner starts with a progressive ascending three chord riff. Entitled, Ready To Be Heard it serves as a reminder of how much this band have been through to get to where they are today. Purely for the music, Ryan, Tyron and Adam left their roots in South Africa for the London music scene. It’s been a tough few years for them, but this album signifies their reunion and how far they have come.
There’s something for everyone in this album with a combination of different sounds they’ve played with; Hints of recent Pendulum, 80’s progressive rock and synth riffs alongside a vocal that is reminiscent of Jack White’s work in The Raconteurs. Overall it’s an exciting and interesting album, there’s fine attention to detail in terms of mastering work. If Looks Could Kill is a track that flirts with compression and echo, followed by album-titled track, Move like a Sinner with its spacey stereo-field movement. It’s difficult to directly compare this band specifically to one genre or artist which is definitely a good thing! Their two years apart before chance reunion for this album seems to have cemented their tastes and given them a firm sense of direction. The album listens confidently with no tracks that stand out as weaker than others.
Lifting the question from the band? What Now? – More albums like Move like a Sinner, please! - Vulture Hound Magazine
Discography
Take Control 2010
Move Like a Sinner 2013
Photos
Bio
Determination. Dedication. Drive. It takes mountains of each to leave your friends and family behind and move eight and a half thousand miles away to make it in music. In 2005 What Now did exactly that.
Having grown up in the dusty beach town of Ballito, South Africa – a town known for its surfing and skateboarding, but with little trace of a music scene – vocalist and guitarist Ryan Morris met drummer Adam Jenkins at school, before recruiting vocalist and bassist Tyron Layley after overhearing him singing at a friends house.
In 2001, in the sweltering heat of the South African summer they left the skating, surfing and body boarding at the beach and locked themselves in the gloom of Ryan’s dad’s garage to practice together, taking early influence from their mutual love of pop punk. Having borrowed their name from a surf video, it wasn’t long before What Now were performing their first shows at local venues and skate parks before branching out into gigs in Cape Town and Johannesburg, often thinking nothing of driving for 24 hours straight just to play a show.
“None of the big rock bands that we liked ever came to South Africa and as kids we had to borrow our parent’s credit cards to get CDs imported!” explains Tyron. “We would get our friends who were away overseas to bring us the latest music and videos, then we’d watch them over and over. We had a VHS of music videos recorded from Kerrang! TV and we played it so many times that the tape warped! We just got obsessed with bands like Green Day and Foo Fighters and we knew that we wanted to make it as a rock band”
In their first year, they had recorded their first EP, designing their own artwork and printing the CDs at home – spawning a DIY ethic that has stuck with What Now ever since. Selling them at shows and skate parks the EPs soon sold out and with a multitude of gigs under their belts the band decided to get serious and record a full-length album.
“When our debut record came out we got great radio play on the big South African stations”, says Ryan “It was our first taste of real success and we were all delighted of course, but we’re a very ambitious band and we just wanted to go big. We didn’t want to be trapped in South Africa and be limited by that further down the line. There are so many talented bands in SA that never get heard because there seems to be a glass ceiling on how far you can go. We turned down an offer with a South African label and had a band meeting. It was an incredibly tough decision, but we knew that we had to leave”
Swapping sweaty summers and warm winters for the alluring lights of the London music scene, What Now left their homes, friends and families behind them and relocated to London.
“We didn’t know where to hang out or where to rehearse, we didn’t even know where to live! Lewisham was our first taste of London and it was terrifying! We were all living in one tiny room. Ty and me even shared a bed together!” explains Adam “It was a really dark time that ultimately took its toll on us all. We were lost, depressed and broke. We forgot who we were and we forgot what we were trying to do. Within six months of being in England we moved into separate flats and decided to split the band. It felt like everything that we had committed to and everything that we had sacrificed, had been for nothing”
For two years, Ryan, Tyron and Adam explored different bands and developed separate tastes in music before a chance meeting at a gig brought them back together. The time felt right to rekindle drifted friendships and reunite the band.
With a refreshed vision of their future and taking new influence from their individual music tastes What Now underwent a rebirth and fusing elements of indie, pop and rock they developed a fresh sound and began playing, writing and recording again. Soon after, they were asked to pen an experimental track for the soundtrack of CSI: NY. Upon completion realised that they had stumbled upon their new musical direction and set to work recording their second full-length album, Move Like A Sinner.
Their hardworking, DIY roots led the band to record the album themselves and what they captured feels like the debut album of a band reborn. Dark, seductive and dripping in hooks their pulsing newfound rock oozes with all the provocative sleaze of a stripper. It’s brooding, confident and flaunts its huge choruses with purpose and precision. Move Like A Sinner is both a mission statement and a battle cry combined, and its release boldly announces a new era and a new beginning for What Now.
After a decade of determination, dedication and drive, and armed with their deadly second album, the band have their eyes fixed firmly on the future. What Now? Now to make good on the promise that they made to themselves as kids setting out from South Africa alone – now to take on the world.
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