No Devotion contain band members that clearly aren’t new to the music scene (Geoff Rickly of Thursday, and ex-members of Lostprophets), but Permanence is a new start – a new genre and style that isn’t really connected to either band’s past work. Could this be a classic debut album everyone is talking about a decade from now? Find out what we think below.
A listen to Thursday’s 2011 album No Devolución (an incredible way to end their run), and a listen to No Devotion’s debut full length album, Permanence, reveals many things. In some ways, it’s almost continuing the sound Thursday was going for on their final album (“Empty Glass” and the No Devotion song “Night Drive” share many atmospheric similarities.
However, No Devotion is a project that stands entirely independent of the band members’ previous projects. No Devotion is more along the lines of bands like Joy Division or The Cure (especially The Cure). Moody, emotive, and atmospheric alternative rock/post-punk shouldn’t be this successful on a debut album, but literally everything here works well – sometimes even better. Tracks like the energetic and positive “Permanent Sunlight” are equally juxtaposed with the powerful drumming on the track “Eyeshadow”. But it’s the darker affairs on Permanence that make it A-grade quality – “Why Can’t I Be With You” and the aforementioned “Night Drive” are absolute home run songs.
Permanence is without a doubt one of the best albums this writer has heard all year. It’s the kind of album you put on after a breakup, when you’re alone in your thoughts late at night, or if you just want something to make you believe in music again.
I knew No Devotion was capable of good things after hearing a recent single or two, but Permanence is the equivalent of a 500 foot game-winning, World Series home run – mammoth and emotive in the best possible ways.
No Devotion’s album Permanence gets a TNF score of 9/10.
