EP REVIEW: Beautiful Years – Never Home

North Carolinian pop-punk/alternative quintet NEVER HOME are reintroducing themselves to the world. After receiving critical acclaim for their self-titled EP in 2018, the band looked set to become the new darlings of the alternative rock world. Alternative Press called the EP’s lead single State Line “a modern classic”, and the band shared stages with the likes of TRASH BOAT and STAND ATLANTIC.

However, after the release of their 2019 single Landslides, NEVER HOME went on hiatus after a series of personal hardships. The hiatus was extended by the pandemic, which brought challenges, but ultimately introspection and healing. Beautiful Years shows a wiser side to the band. If their self-titled EP was about the scary unknown of early adulthood, then Beautiful Years shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and time does heal.

Comeback single Set Sail Alone is the opening song of the EP. After a slightly elongated instrumental introduction, by the time the vocals come in, the song comes into its own. It’s an uplifting song with a brilliant guitar solo. However, sometimes the production means that the vocals can be hard to hear due to being overwhelmed by the instruments, especially during the chorus. The title track is a more mellower rock song which thankfully gets the balance between the vocals and instruments right. It’s a change from the high energy of the opening song, but it also shows another side to the band. I Will Give You All I Have continues the mellow rock sound, giving the EP continuity. However, as the song goes through its runtime, it picks up the pacing, especially during the chorus, which will translate well live.

Unfortunately, the EP does fall into the formula of having an instrumental introduction start each song, although on final two songs – The Number and Where To Begin – these introductions are a little shorter than the rest of the introductions on the first three songs on Beautiful Years. Furthermore, as this is a comeback EP, the band might be laying it safe to test the waters. Pacing wise, the EP is medium paced. Whilst it starts off fast-paced, the middle of the EP slows things down a bit before the closing song picks things up a bit. It is helped by a brilliant feature from THE DANGEROUS SUMMER vocalist AJ Perdomo, who brings a new edge to the song.

Overall, Beautiful Years by NEVER HOME is a solid comeback EP. There is passion and love put into this EP, and the band fit easily back into themselves. Although the EP is a little formulaic as each song starts out the same, this is the band’s first release since 2019, and therefore they might be playing it a bit safe. However, the rest of the songs have their own distinctive sound. Despite some production issues in the first song, the EP sees a joyous return to form for NEVER HOME, and one that defines a promising new start for them.

Rating: 7/10

Beautiful Years is set for release on January 17 2025 via self-release

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