Review
Need
Need

Some bands just make things difficult for those interested in the band. Some bands do so by making complicated music. Need is not one of those bands. Need makes things unnecessary complicated by choosing a name that will not soon pop up after searching for it online. And by making a self-titled album they are not making the search much easier for you. Lucky for you, my dear reader, we have picked up this release.

Need is a new band from Amsterdam. What got me interested in the band at first was their singer, Sam Andrea, whom some of you might know from The Local Spastics, who released a great album in 2014. After a quick look at the band's facebook page, I found out Needs members also play (or played) in Brat Pack, Union Town, No Turning Back and Aux Raus, I just had to listen to their record.

I consider the singer the face of the band. He or she determines for a big part the sound. Bearing that in mind it will not come as a surprise Need has a lot of similarities with The Local Spastics. There are differences though as other influences are used in the overall sound. The Wipers have left their traces in Need's sound. This is the most obvious influence. Add a bit of The Cult (the vocals remind me of Ian Astbury a lot at times) to that and you end up with a lovely punk 'n' roll record.

Those vocals are just in the right style for me. Not only has Sam's voice gotten much stronger since The Local Spastics self-titled album. I'd love to hear him croon away in a horrorpunk band as I bet he has just the voice for that.

If I'm informed correctly, the first half of the album is recorded in a different session from the last half, and you can hear that as it has a slightly different vibe. The back half of the album is a little bit less catchy. Only a little bit. I was humming along with the first five tunes the second time I was listening to it. After four or five spins the second half was also stuck in my head. The main difference is tuning down the Wipers' influences and adding a bit more rock 'n' roll swagger). The A-side of the record is, in my opinion, the better half, so I hope new material will follow the path set out there. Compare "The Same" or "The Need" (the best songs on the record) with "Veins" and see if you feel the same.

If you consider the production of a record a make it or break it item, I have no doubt you'll find this record within the make-it category. Amsterdam Recording Company did it's magic trick again and delivered with a sound that has lots of headroom. This makes Need sound incredibly powerful. And a welcome breath of fresh air within a landscape of brickwalled productions.

Combine a good voice with some nifty songwriting and a good production and you end up with a record that is hard to find online, but well worth your time.