Neptune's only daughter - Lateral Drift

Neptune's Only Daighter

Lateral Drift
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

If you were tell me 10 years ago that a couple of dudes named Benjamin Mead, Evan Charles McCandless and David B. Weaver would still be playing music together I would look straight into your eyeballs, then squint and  call you a liar. I would say this to you because they really didn't know how to play all that well and were in eighth grade. As is turns out I would have falsely accused you and looked like a fool because after 10 years they just released their first EP called Lateral Drift and they are called Neptune’s Only Daughter. So what do they sound like? My first impression was that they sounded a bit like The Faint but preferred guitars and didn't like to dance as much. After listening to the album that sentiment still holds true but they also have a number of qualities that make them uniquely their own but also feel like a million other bands at the same time (this isn't a bad thing). A lot of these songs sound like quintessential indie rock so if I were to refer someone that never heard of indie rock before I might just point them in this direction - this or Deerhunter.  Neptune’s Only Daughter has a quality that reminds me of some of the great indie bands. Not only is it the tone of the singer’s voice or the bass line that reminded me of “Rebellion (Lies)” by Arcade Fire but the way they structure their songs. It’s hard to put your finger on it but there is definitely a surplus of influences that may just have been accumulated over the last ten years. Anyway you look at it you have five solid songs that are fun and easy to listen to on Lateral Drift.

Things start off good with “Preamble.” It contains a good mix of background vocals, guitars, bass and some impressive drum work, The song didn't grab me right away but became more appealing after a couple of listens. “The Last Man” is a forward moving, get out of seat type of song that has an ample amount of energy that I'm guessing would probably make this a good one to see live. Indie rock 101 aesthetics are displayed on “AutoElectric” while the closer “Hives” is the most rocking song on the album.

Lateral Drift has a good amount of energy and while the band may sometimes sound a bit too familiar for comfort they know how to write a quality song. In this case five.

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