Overpass Elsewhere, Always - A Review
- Alex Duncan
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
An emphatic opening account for one of the standout bands in the country.
To think of this solely as a debut album would be a disservice. Elsewhere, Always is a lesson on maturity and growth, developed under the wings of Indie-rock super-producer Rich Turvey (Blossoms, The Royston Club, Courteeners) and carried to levels this band were always going to reach, with songwriting precision to fashion one of the records of the year.
The Midlands outfit have been honing their craft for six years, and with a long-awaited debut record finally on the shelves, it comes as no surprise that every minute of this feels intentional.
Opener Union Station thrusts you into this unapologetically youthful sound; an alarming, ethereal droning persists throughout the song, giving it such gravitas. Max Newbold’s vocals on the album stretch and peak, and married with introspective songwriting to create an anthemic sound to the record. Who would have thought a track about solace in train stations would have such stature, making mistakes and comparing yourself to others, yet being okay to not have all the answers. The album’s theme is sketched from the first beat of Jake Bishop’s drums, and sonically, it gives such magnitude in growing up and making a mess of it.
Tracks like Is This Real? and Fall In Love follow suit, tracks fashioned to be sung aloud while retaining this idea of understanding the world and feeling the weight on my shoulders, as is repeated throughout Is This Real? The track asks questions of its listener, with by far the catchiest hook of the record, while contemplating the pressure placed on young people in society to get it right from the off.
The four-piece draw on influences from across the business, and they certainly can be heard in some of the tracks, while all feeling distinctly Overpass. Penultimate track Get Up! is plucked straight out of the 2000’s, a genuine summer headbanger, flush with stop-start guitars and shrilling vocals that wouldn’t look out of place on a Wallows or 1975 track. Meanwhile, I Will was described by guitarist Elliot Rawlings as sounding similar to Oasis on social media, with punchy lead and rhythm guitar parts joined by a simple, energetic chorus, it’s easy to see why.
Romantically, this album finds its home in the unassuming Bonnie and Clyde Pt 2. Stripped back to a gut-wrenching core, an acoustic guitar and soft vocal amplify what sit as the best lyrics on the record, battling with wanting a love that isn’t right, wanting to get it wrong so desperately for one person. Talk of people as creatures, fashioning this alienating feeling that romance can bring, and the lack of clarity it can sometimes have, this song is as lyrically crushing as it sounds.
Truly in ascension, the record doesn’t end with Heaven, it gifts you Heaven. After half an hour of spinning through love and loss or a love-inducing coma with insomnia in Sandman, a genuinely addictive melody follows. Bookending the album with such enormity, Heaven joins the opener in romanticising a place, whether it be a physical one amongst the beautiful chaos of a train station, or the simplicity in knowing who, and why, in a more conventional way. The track simply stands alone, with that alarming guitar tone joined by a captivating, isolated vocal. Heaven closes the record perfectly as a standout.
In times of such uncertainty for many young people, whether it be global turmoil or economic damage inflicted by elites, disregarded as generational moaning, albums like this can truly define an era for young minds. Musically diverse yet not stuffed, the record feels easy on the ear and heavy on the heart.
Standing alone, the record boasts ten magnificent indie-rock tracks, but when pieced together, the narrative assembled by Newbold, Summer, Bishop and Rawlings presents a soundtrack for a coming-of-age story for the band, and anyone lucky enough to hear them.
Words: Alex Duncan
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