Nonstop to Cairo’s second single “Awkward Situations” from the band’s forthcoming album KAI has every bit of the fire and spark of its predecessor. There’s ample physicality as well and listeners will be hard pressed to not admire how well Nonstop to Cairo balances their inclinations toward jam band funk and post-punk ferociousness.
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The heart and soul of Nonstop to Cairo’s sound and songwriting is the partnership between front man August Harris and guitarist/vocalist Nick Diamond. “Awkward Situations” highlights their ongoing chemistry. It has the same near-blistering energy defining Nonstop to Cairo’s music thus far, but the understanding between Harris, Diamond, and their bandmates prevents NtC’s music from ever running off-track.
The condensed and action-packed trajectory of the song doesn’t allow self-indulgence. Nonstop to Cairo is on-point from the outset and the production captures each instrument with bracing clarity. The band frequently incorporates brass into their compositions, but “Awkward Situations” is an outright blast of hopped-up punk rock percolating with intense rhythms from the beginning to end.
It is music capable of making an instant connection with casual listeners and deeper connections with more attentive fans. Striking an accord between these values isn’t easy for any band or songwriter, but the great ones make it sound effortless. That’s the case here. “Awkward Situations” plays like a song that was floating around in the ether waiting for Nonstop to Cairo to come along and get it down for listeners to enjoy.
They’ve fulfilled their duty. The crowning achievement comes, however, with the band’s accompanying video. Great promotional clips should serve a dual purpose – to highlight the song’s strengths and work as a standalone piece of dramatic storytelling. Despite offering viewers a performance clip, no narrative here, it is potent visual accompaniment for the music.
The dizzying cinematography is appropriate as well. It seems to mimic the song’s breakneck trajectory without ever matching it lockstep and the close relation makes for an even meatier listen. Color composition is another crucial part of the video’s success as the deep blues juxtapose with the salty splashes of white. It is appealing eye candy, without a doubt, and the various visual effects aren’t distracting.
Nonstop to Cairo are taking the “slow and steady” approach to pushing their forthcoming album release. The pace of single releases from the collection has not come willy nilly and the band rightly concentrated on their bread and butter, live performances, in the meantime. Even a cursory listen to “Awkward Situations” reveals a band who lives for the stage.
Documenting that freewheeling, kinetic energy in a studio release is challenging. The artificial confines imposed by studios has a tendency to dilute or dampen an unit’s live power and certainly pales in comparison to the immediacy of concert performance. Nonstop to Cairo, however, have pulled that off with “Awkward Situations” and there is not any reason to believe they will not keep doing it for the foreseeable future. They have a clear trajectory they are plotting out as they move into the future.
Cleopatra Patel