The three-member rock band Point North has returned with their third album Brand New Vision. Originally founded in California, the band consists of vocalist Jon Lundin, guitarist Andy Hershey, and drummer Sage Weeber, who play progressive rock. The rock genre has undergone many phases since the 90s with bands like Nirvana and All-American Rejects, and 20-plus years later, mainstream rock has evolved into something more pop-inspired, but with the same emotion that rock provides.
2018’s album A Light in a Dark Place introduced Point North to the world, and two years later, the band continues to dazzle rock fans with their clear, emotional vocals centering on relationship drama and a dark aesthetic. Brand New Vision stays true to the band’s sound with little change but soars high.
“Into the Dark” introducing change
Point North introduced one of their most popular songs on Spotify, which was “Into the Dark,” earlier this year as a single. It’s one of their more well-known tracks, and it's one of their best because of its change in rhythm and fast-paced pop appeal. The pop genre is no stranger to entangling itself with other genres, sometimes for the better and sometimes not so much. The song “Into the Dark,” much like the album’s cover art, makes listeners feel as if they are floating or falling into a dark abyss of emotion. The original single was fantastic. Brand New Vision introduces an updated version of the track at number two on the list. Sleeping with Sirens’ Kellin Quinn lends his voice halfway through the song, and honestly, it’s not a bad addition. The band tampered with one of their greatest tracks, and it actually sounds better. The phrase “don’t mess with a good thing” does not apply here.
Out of the dark
Point North, much like the late Nirvana, has this appeal of darkness. The band is impressive in their own right, but there’s a battle raging within the mind of their music. Much of what is expressed in Brand New Vision in songs like “Into the Dark,” “Nothing Left to Lose,” and “Lethal” have this depressive vibe, but it seems like music is a savior for the band. There’s this common theme with bands like Point North where listeners are stuck in a dark cave at the beginning of the song but find the light to escape by the time the song ends.
This sort of symbolic head game is gripping, and listeners will quickly catch on to a theme of political injustice within the album. Point North wants to connect with their listeners, and there are a variety of songs with this message of holding on during tough times, even when, in the case of track nine, “No One’s Listening.” Hopefully, though, fans of this band will listen, because Brand New Vision is compelling and a perfect representation of rock’s sound in 2020.
Hidden messages
Musicians making political statements is nothing new and has been going on forever, it seems. Nancy Sinatra, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, and Point North are just a few of the brave souls who have put themselves out there to speak against injustice. Listeners will detect anti-Trump messages within several tracks like “Distant” and “No One’s Listening” that speak to the ongoing controversy with ICE. The band is smart enough not to make Brand New Vision entirely politically affiliated, but they do it just enough so as to be noticeable.
Top Tracks:
Nothing Left to Lose
Into the Dark (feat. Kellin Quinn)
No One’s Listening
Recommended if you Like:
All American Rejects
Rage Against the Machine
Sleeping with Sirens
Featured Image: Genius
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