Uprise is the fourth album from Nemesea, an alt-rock/electronica trio from Holland, and it’s a catchy little piece that certainly leaves an impression on you, but on the other hand it lacks that special something to take the release to the next level.
The main problem with Uprise is that it just doesn’t quite sound fresh and new; there’s a familiarity to the songs as if you’ve already heard them before somewhere and it subsequently means that Nemesea don’t quite bring anything new to the table. The music certainly isn’t bad and there’s some real high points on the album, but unfortunately Nemesea aren’t really treading any new ground with Uprise. It’s a very “safe” album and whilst there’s no shame in sticking to what you know, it would have been nice to see a bit more adventure to the music.
Despite that, it’s clear that Nemesea know how to write an earworm or two, and it’s also clear that the band are very comfortable with one another as musicians, by now knowing what works for them and what doesn’t. A definite highlight of the album is Time To Make It, which is a wildly infectious track that will inevitably wind up stuck in your head. With big synth lines to open and featuring a powerful and emotive vocal performance to boot, and the key change in the end helps to give the song an extra lift – if you only decide to check out one song from this album then make sure it’s this one.
As a whole, Nemesea have crafted a pretty good album. It perhaps won’t go down as the most memorable or unique releases out there, but nevertheless it is a great listen and one definitely worthy of your attention.
6/10
