japandroids near to the wild heart of life review

Near To the Wild Heart of Life is unmistakably the same band that made Celebration Rock and Post-Nothing, but with more subversion of the expectations around it than many bands on a hotly tipped third record would attempt.

But they did slow down, and sometime during that three-year hiatus they apparently decided to hit. Up to this point, singer-guitarist King and drummer Prowse haven’t strayed much from this formula-their 2012 breakthrough Celebration Rock was acclaimed as the full realization of “the Japandroids sound,” and its hefty touring cycle differed only from their previous six years in that the venues were bigger and more packed. For two LPs, two EPs, and a handful of singles, Japandroids have religiously walked a path of rock n’ roll tradition, both in their long-talks-and-late-night-drives imagery and their minimalist approach to translating maximal feelings.

Hit or stand? It’s a question that’s plagued more gamblers than rock bands, but it feels like something Japandroids members Brian King and Dave Prowse might’ve asked themselves before crafting Near To the Wild Heart of Life. Photo by Camilo Christen Japandroids to Headline Two Los Angeles Dates at Fonda Theatre in Support of New Album ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’

Japandroids near to the wild heart of life review