Having just been released, Different Now marks a significant leap forward for fresh band Meena, an up and coming group from Manchester, UK, which has already stood out for bringing together shoegaze, electronics, and indie elements.
Their debut full length exhibits a more refined and expansive sound compared to the bands earlier offerings. Since forming in 2019, Meena have released three EPs, and Different Now seems to be the true unveiling of their complete vision for the project.
The record is drenched in lush sounds, hazy shoegaze textures combined with electronic beats and ambient synth swells. From the opening moments, there’s a hint of Primal Scream swagger, flashes of indie psychedelia, buzzing electronics, and a melodic undercurrent, all of which form a kaleidoscopic outcome.
Wonder stands out early with its hypnotic, garage-punk pulse laced with a twisted edge. The vocals melt into the psychedelic grit, and this is where the band makes their intentions clear. This is not a regular indie album. This is a deliberate distortion, crafted with purpose and a vision for something aberrant, yet rooted deeply in the legacy of alternative culture.
Wait carries the intricacy forward. The Manchester DNA is unmistakable. The city’s monochromatic post punk and shoegaze legacy is rendered in vivid colour. Songs bleed naturally into one another, and despite the strangeness, there’s a quiet cohesion running through it all. Cast pulls closest to nineties alternative, letting nostalgia hit strongly.
The experimental streak is unmissable. At times, the music feels improvised yet never tips into confusion. The compositions surprise without alienating, and as the album unfolds, the soft, wistful female vocals grow more familiar and more essential. By the time we reach Money and Somebody, the connection is cemented.
Song brevity is another striking choice for the entire album. There are many instances of tracks hovering around the two-minute mark or less such as the title track, Carte d’Or, and the closer Peter, where things might seem fleeting, even incomplete on their own, but in the context of the whole record, their presence feels perfectly placed.
Creation, the album’s longest cut which still clocks in at under five minutes, plays like a miniature adventure, encapsulating what Different Now does well altogether, blending psychedelia, shoegaze bliss, fragments of trip hop, and bursts of indie colorfulness into an organic yet loose sound.
Mixed by Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Washed Out, Gnarls Barkley) and mastered at Abbey Road by Frank Arkwright, the album’s production balances precision with grit. Meticulous in its construction, Different Now, an attractive debut, will still cater to those drawn to rugged charm.
ZR