NOTHING – “Vertigo Flowers” (Singles Going Steady)

Pryor Stroud: A muted amalgamation of the feedback-drenched pop of Yuck and breezy shoegaze of DIIV, “Vertigo Flowers” is a melodically understated, unassuming dream-pop banger suffused with lilting guitar breaks that sway back-and-forth like lovers’ feet dangling from a bridge. “And I hate everything you’re saying,” Domenic Palermo’s lyric begins, but it’s undermined by the melancholic propulsion of the guitar swirl beneath it. His “hate,” like most iterations of hate, is just an attempt to distance himself from someone that won’t love him in return. [8/10]

Morgan Y. Evans: This band have a cool attitude, support good causes and write very aggressively played alt rock that gets accepted by metalheads and indie snobs alike while sounding pretty much like Swervedriver meets Jesus & Mary Chain on a Rimbaud bender. They are definitely one of the more earnest and worthwhile rock acts you could support these days (with all shout outs and respect due to Grave Pleasures, Boyfrndz and Best Coast as well). Not at all reinventing the wheel but reinforcing why big chords, a pinch of gothic snark and a lot of attitude still speaks volumes. [7/10]

Emmanuel Elone: NOTHING take quite a laid back sound on this new song of theirs. “Vertigo Flowers” has some lush guitar effects that make the song reminiscent of some nicely layered shoegaze. The vocals don’t stand out, but become another layer of instrumentation to pile on top of everything else. It drowns the lyrics in the process, and there isn’t much sonically for the listener to focus on, but NOTHING wasn’t going for that kind of song structure. They wanted to make a song that was colorful, moody and light-hearted, and that’s what they deliver. [6/10]

Chris Ingalls: Philly’s NOTHING (so it’s officially all caps? Okay then) let loose a single from their upcoming album, Tired of Tomorrow, and we’re all the better for it. A surging, hugely melodic, guitar-heavy single, “Vertigo Flowers” resembles — musically, anyway — the great stuff Bob Mould’s been foisting on us lately. It’s pretty standard college radio power-pop, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. Loud volume recommended for this one. [8/10]

Ian King: Why on earth does the singer wait so long to put his mask and glasses on? There’s no need to be the tough guy at the paint hose party. It’s really too bad that NOTHING had to pull out of the gigs with Failure and Hum last summer, that was a prime algorithm bill. [5/10]

Chad Miller: The guitar and vocal harmonies sound great together.The guitar section near the end provides really good contrast as well, and while our sound doesn’t venture too far off from where it was before that section, it’s a welcome change nonetheless. [8/10]

NOTHING’s new album Tired of Tomorrow is releasing on May 13th via Relapse Records.

SCORE: 7.00