You should think of Indiana’s Native as a group of post-hardcore super heroes. In a genre that had and continues to grow stale, Native saved the day in 2009 with their first full-length Wrestling Moves. Another one of the innovative and great bands on the Sargent House label, Native has yet again set themselves apart from the plethora of post-hardcore bands and increased their super powers with their second full-length Orthodox set for a release on August 20th.
Orthodox comes across a lot stronger than Wrestling Moves and their first EP We Delete; Erase. I use the word “strong” as a way to describe the albums entire dynamic. From the musicianship to the vocals, everything is a whole lot stronger here. Native has always had a great dynamic to their songs, but it’s at a completely different level on this album.
The album sees lead vocalist-bassist Bobby Markos exploring different vocal styles, noticeably taking a more melodic, clean and spoken direction. His screams are a little more drawn out, and the vocal production seems like it’s a little roomier, a very welcomed change. We also hear a little more of guitarist Ed O’Neill’s vocals as well.
The musicianship is tighter then ever on Orthodox. The rhythms created by Markos and drummer Nick Glassen pave the way for guitarists Daniel Evans and O’Neill, for passages that are groovy as hell (See “Monday Night”, “Brass”). Sliding in and out of pocket grooves seamlessly, Orthodox is a perfect representation of how this band has matured musically over the years, and yet another reason why Native has set themselves apart from many bands out there today.
Orthodox is a crowd pleaser, and Native’s most solid release to date. Catch them on tour this fall with O’Brother and Daylight, and be sure to pick the album up when it releases August 20th through Sargent House.
Rating: 5/5
Preorder/listen here
Tour dates here