Japandroids – ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’

Japandroids launch into their first album for almost five years off the back of some ear shattering drumming, a riff that sounds like a whole band and an opening lyric full of the sort of modern nostalgia Japandroids have made their own. The self-titled opening track of ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ could easily be a b-side from ‘Celebration Rock’ (not a bad thing in the slightest), although listening in the week Donald Trump was inaugurated does give those lines a certain current poignancy.

This duality of the past and the present fills the album, both lyrically and sonically. The monstrous drumming, huge riffs and romantic lyrics mean this is undeniably a Japandroids record, but the years off between their 2012 masterpiece ‘Celebration Rock’ and ‘Near…’ have allowed the band to look back and reflect on their sound. Whereas ‘Celebration Rock’ was minimal, focused on squeezing every last drop of excitement out of every second of every song, ‘Near…’ isn’t afraid to take a step back and let a song breath, or to explore synths and acoustic guitars.

‘North East South West’ is a country-tinged ode to Canada, ‘I’m Sorry (For Not Find You Sooner)’ is a brief, dreamy, shoegaze influenced ballad, and ‘Arc Of Bar’ recalls The Who, both in the stadium sized opening riff and epic story telling over seven minutes. When they left, Japandroids were the perfect soundtrack to a rowdy bar on a Friday night, whereas this variety means ‘Near…’ is a record to be explored in the after-party, the morning after, or on a wandering walk through the city.

Perhaps the strongest moments are the two closing tracks; the penultimate ‘No Known Drink Or Drug’ sees Japandroids marrying their classic sound with the new reflective writing. It’s the perfect song for a festival Sunday, when you’re feeling more than a little broken but ward it off by raising a glass to the sunset and ringing off a few “sha na na nas” as the warm guitars wash over you. Closer ‘In A Body Like A Grave’ is built around an acoustic riff and has the message that most things in life will betray you at some point, but to “remember there’s heaven in the hellest of holes.”

As with the opening line of the album, listening in the era of Trump gives this another reading. Japandroids have always invoked Heartland Rock, a genre born from the industrial regions of America that handed Trump the presidency. It could be coincidence (Japandroids aren’t even American and the album was written and recorded before the election), but the conflict of the past and present and the maturity with which they approach the writing seem incredibly apt. As does the overall theme that however much you may want to romanticise the past and nostalgia, you need to develop and change. There’s no harm in looking back – Japandroids prove that better than anyone – but you need to do it honestly and remember to look forward with hope too.

‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ is a slow burner. Where you want to wheel ‘Celebration Rock’ to keep the good times going, ‘Near…’ is a record you spin again because you might find something different each time you do. It doesn’t have a moment that scales the heights of ‘The House That Heaven Built’ (few songs by any artist do), but it’s a fascinating record that proves Japandroids have far more to give than big riffs and “woah!”s.

It’s hard to judge a Japandroids record until you’ve seen it live: what hasn’t changed from ‘Celebration Rock’ is every song sounds like it was crafted with performance in mind. So whilst ‘Near…’ doesn’t quite reach the levels of their masterpiece yet, this could easily change.

TOM GANE