Album Review: Noah And The Whale - Heart Of Nowhere

Heart of Nowhere, the fourth studio album from British group Noah and the Whale is a luke-warm exploration of nostalgia, the transition from adolescence to adulthood and an obsession with time. These themes came from the experiences of lead vocalist and songwriter Charlie Fink. Arriving home after touring for 18 months, he discovered one of his mates had got engaged and Fink was feeling the distance from his friends and their lives. Alongside the album, Fink shot a half-hour film also called Heart of Nowhere that follows a gang of friends' last night together in a future where teens are isolated from society until they're deemed old enough to return.

Sonically, Heart of Nowhere continues with the pop-rock sound of their previous record Last Night on Earth, occasionally venturing into MOR easy-listening territory. Originally part of the scene that spawned Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons, there is only the instrumental opener and occasional burst of violin serving as a reminder of the band's nu-folk beginnings. Now their sound is closer to the love child of Tom Petty and The Killers, the latter heard in the vocal particularly. While the arrangements are solid and the hooks in nostalgia-heavy Lifetime and Silver and Gold will swirl for days, the lyrics and songwriting are the weakest aspects. Many of the songs explore similar ideas, in a similar tempo and style; coupled with Fink's restrained drawl it all gets monotonous by the end. The first few songs show promise and there are some nice moments on the record, but overall this is a pretty dull experience.