near to the wild heart of life japandroids album cover

On ‘The House That Heaven Built’, they once sang: “And if they try to slow me down/I’ll tell them all to go to hell.” Japandroids aren’t going 100mph anymore but that’s ok, because for the first time, it feels like they know where they want to go. The album opens with the title track, a nostalgic anthem propelled forward by David Prowses laser-sharp, signature bombshell drumming style. Driven by breakneck guitar and snapping drums, dreamy shoegaze backing vocals add a sense of sweetness that feels a long way from the desperation and raw necessity of their debut.

Take the 7 minutes of ‘Arc of Bar’ where that blazing intent goes stadium-sized with big, echoing ’80s dynamics and swathes of electro that cut through noise – it’s unexpected but is still definably Japandroids.Įlsewhere, title track ‘Near to the Wild Heart of Life’ and ‘I’m Sorry for Not Finding You Sooner’ retain all the tumultuous rumble and unremitting momentum, but it’s on ‘No Known Drink or Drug’ that Brian King and David Prowse find the balance. ‘Near to the Wild Heart of Life’ slows and softens that shellacking with the duo determined to prove they’re capable of adding depth and blowing out their freewheeling anthems. Near to the Wild Heart of Life is the third studio album by the Canadian rock duo Japandroids, released on January 27, 2017, by ANTI. 2012’s second album, ‘Celebration Rock’, fleshed out that intent with the Canadian band digging deeper into what they wanted to say, but even that was done at 100mph. In the immediate aftermath of ‘Post-Nothing’ in 2009, it felt like Japandroids would only be content with hurtling forward in a blaze of scorched-earth indie rock. After years in hiding, you could forgive Japandroids for thrashing their way back into view.

Near to the wild heart of life japandroids album cover