In a scene thatÔÇÖs saturated with jangly guitar riffs, and where everyone and their brother are the next big breakthrough act, it can be hard to take ÔÇ£indie rockÔÇØ seriously sometimes. Sifting out the good from the bad becomes tiresome and before you know it your Superfood have become your Splashh. Thankfully, northerners Nai Harvest donÔÇÖt seem to let this bother them. Following up to debut ÔÇÿWhateverÔÇÖ, the Sheffield duo return with ÔÇÿHold Open My HeadÔÇÖ, this March. Boasting four solid examples of why the band shouldnÔÇÖt be ignored in 2014, the EP takes you on a 15-minute journey of 90s-inspired rock that does everything in its power to, in the best possible sense of the term, avoid being pigeonholed.
Track one ÔÇÿRushÔÇÖ hits you straight between the eyes. Providing the catchy riff and sing-along bridge (complete with ÔÇÿooohsÔÇÖ) essential for any successful record opener, ÔÇÿRushÔÇÖ more than makes up for what it lacks in build with a host of nostalgic tones that wouldnÔÇÖt sound out of place on WeezerÔÇÖs self-titled debut. Colliding perfectly with its precursor, ÔÇÿHold Open My HeadÔÇÖ ensues strongly. The thoughtful ramblings of the title track achieve both universality and personality with such ease that itÔÇÖs hard to believe the brains behind Nai Harvest are barely pushing 21. Room-filling ÔÇÿPastelÔÇÖ closely follows, delivering droning vocals that lull you into a false sense of security before a wall of sound breaks down every misconception you may have made. ÔÇÿI DonÔÇÖt Even KnowÔÇÖ closes the EP with a final abruptness that runs the risk of becoming out of place on a record that has otherwise tied all loose ends, but instead reflects the encapsulating awareness that runs throughout.
No matter which of the contrived labels you condemn ÔÇÿHold Open My HeadÔÇÖ to, be it indie-rock or the like, itÔÇÖs apparent that Nai Harvest are creating noise much bigger than their two-man crew would suggest.