If there was a book called “How to Create Your Debut Album: Post Hardcore Edition”, Chasing Safety’s ‘Nomad’ would undoubtedly be the sample record stuck to the back cover. Across eleven tracks, the band manage to cover everything the genre has become known for in recent years; from strong musicianship and tight production to sing/scream vocal combinations, Chasing Safety have certainly done their homework, allowing them a solid entry into the genre.
The catchy, well-crafted chorus and chunky instrumentals of ‘Brand New Prison’ get ‘Nomad’ off to a dream start. Kenny Davis’ clean vocals carry the song well, mixing effectively with Johnny Galivan’s harsh screams, and this combination continues in a similar pattern and structure throughout the record. The band’s musicians are unmistakably talented: the drums are busy yet clean throughout and the guitars feel weighty and substantial, giving each track a solid backbone.
With a line-up this impressive, Chasing Safety should have all the necessary components to convert the strong opening into a long-lasting record, but unfortunately ‘Nomad’ gets bogged down trying to fit in rather than displaying its own personality. The record turns frustratingly formulaic and becomes a game to see how many tropes of the post-hardcore genre you can spot. The tried and tested sing/scream vocal combination is persistent throughout, ‘This Is Hell’ covers off the “whoa whoa” chorus line, ‘Long for More’ provides the gang-chant shouts of “hey” after the chorus, ‘World We Know’ features the down-tuned breakdown, and the title track is where you’ll find the token mid-session instrumental interlude.
Thanks to a series of impressive individual performances and a determination to stick to a formula, this record is as close to a text book definition of post-hardcore as you’ll find, making it a solid, no-nonsense debut. However, if you were asked to pick something to read, it’s doubtful a text book would be your first choice. ‘Nomad’ has been well researched and it’s grounded in solid theory, but in practice it lacks excitement and some much needed personality, meaning it’s not likely to leave the shelf often enough to be a best-seller just yet.
MARK JOHNSON