Nick Argyriou

Vocalist Matt Joe Gow will forever cop flack for his Matt Berninger-intonated vocal pitch on this record; it’s the way the music industry works. Some will unquestionably loathe how close he gets to the vino-swilling National frontman’s lower-register bass-baritone, while others will embrace the connection. Similar to the Jack Ladder/Nick Cave analysis, this is just one of those maddening associations that Gow will have to deal with. What does work in the one-time country troubadour’s favour – like Ladder’s records – is that you cease hearing links the longer you immerse yourself in the LP. Why? Because when you bypass the superficialities, Gow’s vocal actually doesn’t range anywhere near Berninger’s deep-seated growl, so the contrast becomes futile. Read the full review here.