Credential Recordings
Release Date: September 15th 2017
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
The New Respects– Future (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Future
Probably the best kept secret of a band that no one knows about (but hopefully they will soon!), a quartet of family members (twin sisters Alexis and Zandy Fitzgerald, their brother Darius and cousin Jasmine Mullen- daughter of CCM powerhouse vocalist Nicole C. Mullen), make up rock band The New Respects, who are definitely a group I would take note of this coming year and beyond. Ever since I heard their song “Hey!” which debuted last year, I knew the band would be something special, and one listen from their new EP Here Comes Trouble (featuring hits such as “Money” and “Trouble”) and you would agree with me too. Signed to Credential Recordings and Capital CMG, and hailing from Nashville, Tennessee; there’s no describing their genre accurately, as the three siblings and cousin stretch musical boundaries in hip-hop, soul, gospel, funk, reggae, blues, rock, and mesh them together to form a sound that is uniquely theirs, reminding me also of throwbacks to the 70’s and 80’s. While you can read my verdict on such a musically diverse EP that I’m sure will garner the attention and buzz of listeners, fans and critics alike; the band quietly dropped their follow-up single “Future”. So how does the ‘sophomore release’ fare, given that I rated Here Comes Trouble 5/5? Read on and find out!
With “Future” starting off with an intense driving bass line, the quartet passionately sing to the ‘future’ as if it was a person, proclaiming that ‘…future, I can’t hold you, like I want you, I can’t control you, it makes me want it, I want it, hold on, can I want for you, how long?…’, giving us the impression that the band is always looking to the future, wondering what’s in store 5, 10, maybe 20 years from now, and always wanting to know and be in control of what ultimately doesn’t go to plan and isn’t in our control. Because, when it all comes down to it, nobody’s perfect plan occurs, and there’s always bumps in the road called life that we could never foresee. We’re only human after all. And The New Respects remind us of this fact, that our plans for the future, no matter how admirable, can sometimes fall through our grasps, no matter how tightly we may hold onto our control of tomorrow. An ingenious way about tackling the topic of control and how holding onto it too much can result it is growing bitter and disappointed when life doesn’t go our way, The New Respects have created an artistic masterpiece that is sure to pose many questions as we navigate this crazy world we’re living in, and try to make sense of the madness and chaos, while living according to our plans, but knowing and being ok with ending up somewhere completely different in the future.
There’s not much more I can say about this amazing song, that have already mentioned already, which further cements The New Respects as the modern day ABBA or The Beatles. The New Respects have created a stellar follow-up single, and there is no reason anyone can give for not being able to check out “Future” (and Here Comes Trouble for that matter). So no matter what genre you like, check out this track now! You’ll be glad I encouraged you! Well done Alexis, Zandy, Darius and Jasmine, I can’t wait to hear what God has in store all in the coming months and years!
3 songs to listen to: Not an album or an EP, yet one of my favourite songs of 2017, so you can listen to the track 3 times or maybe more, or until we fully understand that the future isn’t controllable, and all we can do is keep walking one step at a time, and appreciate the times we have right now, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Daughtry, Leeland, Crowder, U2, Switchfoot, The Beatles, ABBA, Nicole C. Mullen