Never Shout Never – Time Travel
Record Label: Warner Brothers Records / Loveway Records
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Love him or hate him, Christofer Drew most likely couldn’t care less – he’s not slowing down anytime soon. With Never Shout Never, the kid continues to progress with each release. With last year’s Harmony, he went for an old-fashioned pop-record, resulting in arguably the biggest progression of his career. “Sell Out” cemented his growth as a song-writer and as an artist. Now, Never Shout Never is back in full band form with Time Travel, the most dynamic achievement for Drew yet.
The main difference between Time Travel and previous Never Shout Never records is how atmospheric it sounds – gone is the simple, stripped-down acoustic, ‘60s pop approach; welcomed is the arena-rock, experimental approach. Take the opening title track, for starters – it’s mesmerizing and hypnotic. The spacey effects relayed behind Drew’s enticing singing add a new layer to his sound, resulting in what may be the best track Never Shout Never have penned. This new instrumentation sound works wonders for Drew’s vocals, as it just all fits delightfully together.
“Awful” follows a more pop route, a bit more like previous Never Shout Never material, while “Silver Ecstasy” is a haunting performance. The latter of these may be the best vocal performance of Drew’s career, as the rock-opera approach allows his pipes to really be recognized. Yet Drew doesn’t steal the whole show this time around, as “Simplistic Trance-Like Getaway” proves the musicianship of the guys and demonstrates the beneficial effects of the full band usage.
Lyrically, Time Travel is considerably darker than any previous NSN material. The words “I’m a just a robot / I have no fears / I lack emotion…I’m just a coma / A deadly sleep” opens the haunting “Robot.” Similarly, “Until I Die Alone” is another dark love song, as Drew sings “I have thought so many times what my life would be like without you there right by my side.” It’s moments like these that demonstrate a new side to the young vocalist – he’s matured and grown.
The growth continues to be heard throughout the arena-rocker that is “Complex Heart.” As the most instrumentally complex track on the record, the penultimate track is a poignant rocker as Drew takes full command. After the colossal “Lost At Sea” ends Time Travel, the true growth of Never Shout Never has never been more clear. This is the record that will define Drew’s image as more than just a kid – it’s his magnum opus. Easily the biggest progression of Never Shout Never yet, Time Travel is the record Christofer Drew has always wanted to create, and he’s not about to stop progress anytime soon.
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