Moments of Clarity

Narrow Head

Initially, I was digging the vibe of this one. Moments of Clarity is just a very classic sounding alternative rock and shoegaze record. It's warm, enveloping, angsty, and dripping in melancholy. There are even moments where the Texas quintet dips into the nu-metal side with some more aggressive, biting riffs and screamed vocals. It's competently produced, employing the tried and true loud/soft dynamics that made the best rock acts of the 90s such a gut punch. As I listened to it more closely, however, I struggled to get a grasp of Narrow Head's identity. I don't want to assume what the band's influences are, but if it just so happens to be late 90s, early 2000s Deftones, then I think this album is a case of wearing one's influences too much on the sleeve.

Fine Day sounds like something from Around the Fur if not for the more modern polish on the production end. Flesh & Solitude reminds me heavily of the chorus of Deftones' Needles and Pins. The band even closes with a more witch house-tinged cut (Soft to Touch), a genre for which the Deftones frontman Chino Moreno is known to have an affinity for. Don't get me wrong, I love Deftones, so emulating their sound is not gonna upset me in the slightest. But, now we play the comparison game and unfortunately, Narrow Head doesn't have the enigmatic vocalist, as catchy riffs, or as compelling songs. Narrow Head emulates the sound well, there is no doubt. However, without their unique stamp, I'm not sure I'm too interested in returning back to this one.