ALBUM REVIEW: Out of Body – NEEDTOBREATHE

The last 10 years of music has shown a progression into what the pop music sphere wants from the rock and metal world. Whilst a few rock acts have peeped through into the mainstream, most of them had a very similar style, for example, FUN., MUMFORD & SONS, IMAGINE DRAGONS. So it’s weird to find that in 2020, there is still a band resembling that sound. NEEDTOBREATHE‘s followup to their 2016 album came out recently, Out Of Body, expanding on what their previous work started and bringing an interesting sound to the new decade. So how did that all go?

Those bands mentioned earlier? It feels like NEEDTOBREATHE copied their homework, added in many elements of KINGS OF LEON, and it still came out…boring, seriously boring. Whilst the start of the album with Mercy’s Shore feels like a very interesting beginning, with a folk/Americana style and interesting lyrics to listen and create the mood of the song, every song after this sounds exactly the same instrumentally and musically. Same acoustic guitar, same drum beats, same harmonies, and same song structure. Sometimes the introduction would make the listener think that a different style is about to begin, but nope, just goes back into the easy listening comfort zone without that much difference. That sound is okay, but the lack of variety within these songs makes the whole album feel one-note. 

As noted, the lyrics are themed differently, but most of those are generic uplifting sounds. Whilst it does seem well-intentioned, the amount of them feels off, especially as there are so many without variation in structure. There’s a pretentious atmosphere surrounding the common theming throughout the album, and whilst having uplifting and helpful songs can come from a genuine place, the amount of them seems strategic and weird to listen to one after the other. Songs like Alive, Hang On and Survival, then having Out of Body, Who I Am, Banks, Riding High, and Bottom Of A Heartbreak sequentially feels tiresome and the temptation to turn off the album is really strong.

Overall, NEEDTOBREATHE needs to learn a word after this album: variety. It’s like they found one style that they found success with, and then seemed to beat a dead horse with another dead horse. They’ve over-saturated themselves with their style of song choice that it’s damaging them instead of helping them grow and flourish as a band. 2013 seems like the peak this album was made for, but in 2020, the world has moved on and NEEDTOBREATHE need to do the same with their next effort. Out Of Body is okay, but easily the most forgettable of the year.

Rating: 5/10

Out of Body is out now via Elektra Records/Centricity Music.

Like NEEDTOBREATHE on Facebook.