THE FUTURE’S ALL WE NEED
A follow-up to 2022’s Born at The Right Time EP, The North Country’s 2024 album under House of Joy is “11 tracks of genre-defying, danceable deliberations on 21st-century civilization and its discontents”
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An experimental pop collective fronted by Andrew Grossman, The North Country has earned a reputation for vibrant music and colorful, raucous shows. With complex arrangements, danceable rhythms, and layered harmonies, the band spins catchy indie pop earworms. The dramatic vocal accompaniments from singers Margot MacDonald and Laurel Halsey, whose voices mimic everything from ethereal priestesses to aloof robots, draw cheers from delighted crowds. The North Country’s music deals with navigating digital fatigue, heartbreak, and blistering political commentary aimed squarely at the 1%. Their new album The Future's All We Need, which the Washington City Paper calls "...11 tracks of genre-defying, danceable deliberations on 21st-century civilization and its discontents", is out now everywhere.
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Indie-pop futurists based in Washington DC, The North Country is Andrew Grossman, Austin Blanton, Laurel Halsey, Jon Harmon, Kirk Kubicek, and Margot MacDonald.
“If you don’t make a move, then everything stays the same. Nostalgia’s a crutch, don’t be afraid to make a change,” goes the chorus of Starting Over, off The North Country’s album The Future’s All We Need. The new record is a colorful, raucous, and poignant collection of songs, dealing with the difficulty of being present in a manic world, heartbreak and the uphill battle towards forgiveness, and the blistering social and political commentary characteristic of The North Country.
The band draws on an expanded sonic palette and deeper collaborative techniques that they developed on their socially-distant experimental lockdown EP Born At The Right Time (Exquisite Corpse). The Future’s All We Need combines that sonic experimentation with an indie pop sensibility, creating an album rife with prismatic textures, contemplative lyrics, and infectious hooks.
The new record features complex arrangements, danceable rhythms, and layered harmonies that teeter between angelic and snarling. Lyricist Andrew Grossman is a skillful songwriting chameleon switching from crestfallen romantic to outraged revolutionary to optimistic futurist throughout the course of the album. The dramatic effect of otherworldly vocal accompaniments from singers Margot Macdonald and Laurel Halsey have become famous for drawing cheers and gasps from crowds during live shows. Together, the band spins complex musical concepts into indie pop earworms that explore heartbreak, digital fatigue, and a world that favors the 1%.
Following multiple successful tours in support of 2022’s Born At The Right Time (Exquisite Corpse) on Misra Records, The North Country are energized and gearing up for bigger shows and tours, new music videos, (including their first ever VR music video, made alongside immersive artist Ian McDermott), and more of that green jumpsuit.
Photo by Mike Kimchi // Download Hi Res
PRESS QUOTES
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER — The North Country continue to make music that matters
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER — “The Future’s All We Need is 11 tracks of genre-defying, danceable deliberations on 21st-century civilization and its discontents…You’re not sure if you want to dance all night or start a revolution.”
THE WASHINGTON POST — “Filtering one’s existential fatigue through such bright influences (Chaka Khan, Joe Jackson, Steely Dan) is complicated work, but in the end, [the album] “America and Afterwards” sounds exceedingly confident, highly organized and maybe even a little hopeful.”
THE WILD IS CALLING — “[The Invisible Hand] brilliantly blends an influence of David Bowie, The Talking Heads, The b52s, and Prince.”
GLIDE MAGAZINE — “[The Invisible Hand is] brimming with electro-pop energy with a touch of glam…”
LEFT OF THE DIAL — “[The Invisible Hand is] a rambunctious track that’s overflowing with idiosyncratic percussion, groovy synth hums, and cynical lyrics served with a smile.”
DISTRICT FRAY — “Lined with trippy electronics and occasionally accented by straight-forward indie rock guitar riffs…“Born at the Right Time (Exquisite Corpse)” might just be the NoCo album that subverts the narrative on remote music production.”
MUSIC MECCA — “Using unique sounds spanning decades and genres, establishing their own eccentricity into their music, and using out of the box methods to create a true lockdown record, The North Country has proven themselves to be a truly special band in the alternative and experimental music space.”
DUSTY ORGAN — “Wonderfully rhythmic and slow-burning, the song [Born at the Right Time] finds its strengths in the sonic details, from quiet breathing to crisp percussive textures.”
GLIDE MAGAZINE — “There’s a moment on the new The North Country single “Inside Outside,” when you hear the sounds of east coast’s Grizzly Bear and west coast’s Local Natives converge into an atmospheric soundscape sandwich of sorts.”
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER — Best of 2021 Reader’s Poll “Best Original DC Band”
PANCAKES AND WHISKEY — “We think America And Afterwards is one of the years’ best efforts”
