Forget all about the Hollywood movies where a prodigious talent touches a musical instrument for the first time and beautiful, logical, perfectly performed sounds just spring out. Let’s get one thing straight here! Playing music requires not just talent, but time and a great deal of discipline. Most people that you and I know, on the other hand, routinely give up on the simplest of gym plans after a week.
4fro Nick sounds like a man who has devoted his life to studying and making music. But, vitally, he ain’t no snob. That’s a rare thing for someone in his position. Those who’ve applied themselves to understanding music, more often than not, are moved to create music that only a small portion of the general public will even understand.
By contrast, on his latest single, the 7-inch vinyl “Don’t Waste My Time/Get There Before Noon,” 4fro Nick opts to translate musical complexity into a language that modern audiences who enjoy indie rock and pop can understand and enjoy.
“Don’t Waste My Time,” the single’s focal track, is driven by 70s classic rock guitar leads and a fitting, loose, jam-rock sense of groove. It’s a song that encapsulates the blessings and curse of the travelling musician. “Don’t Waste My Time” is a song about making the best of your chance, and about living for the moment.
“Get There Before Noon” may feature engulfing, glitchy synths that suggest the digital world pulling you down into its depths, and the music may benefit from a carefully put-together mix. But, at the heart of it, this is a pop-rock anthem about stopping yourself from moaning and complaining and making the best of the opportunity of being alive. The best things, this 4fro Nick assures us, don’t come to people who wait, but to those who are prepared.
On his latest single 4fro Nick has chosen fun and optimism over being a curmudgeon know-it-all. The songs and the production are nicely crafted, and there are clear signs of musical sophistication. But the “Don’t Waste My Time/Get There Before Noon” single is designed as a celebration of life and its opportunities.
