Published
Music for teenagers and adults who still haven't got past twenty.
Yes, I'm a softie, I admit it, but I love it when music goes straight to my heart. No holds barred. And Overpass aren't here to reinvent anything. They're here to remind you why British indie pop hurts so good.
Elsewhere, Always is the first full-length from this Birmingham quartet, and it sounds exactly like its cover promises: traffic lights on wet asphalt, long nights and choruses that lodge themselves in your head. There is distortion, yes, but it is tamed. There are punchy guitars, yes, but they always serve the melody. Above all, there is Max Newbold's voice: fragile, direct, intoxicating. The kind of singer who whispers an emotional catastrophe as though it were a secret.
I've followed them since “Beautiful” in 2023. That single was a punch to the gut. Then came two EPs and a string of singles that confirmed their talent but also raised a question: could they sustain a whole album without repeating themselves? The answer is here. 11 songs and no filler.
The line-up is classic and effective: Newbold on vocals and guitar, Elliot Rawlings on second guitar, India Armstrong on bass and Jake Bishop on drums. They sound like a band, not a studio project.
Overpass understand the architecture of an anthem. “Union Station” bursts in like a door being kicked open: drums at full tilt, layered guitars and a chorus made for stadiums. “Is It Real?” heads in the same direction, but with more bite.
The album gains nuance when it slows down. “Sadman” drops the tempo and wraps itself in Oasis-style reverb, the kind that smells of Sunday and an emotional hangover. “Fall in Love” is the sweetest of the lot, almost saccharine, but Newbold rescues it by singing like someone who doesn't want to admit he is broken. “Spinning” keeps up the vertigo, with guitars circling around themselves and the feeling that you never want to get off the ride.
Lyrically, they get straight to the point: love, heartbreak, frustration. Nothing new, but they say it without posing. That is why it works especially well for teenagers and for adults who still haven't got past twenty.
Elsewhere, Always is textbook British indie pop, but made with an honesty that is refreshing today. There are no strange experiments or plot twists. There are songs. Great songs.
It is no surprise that they are already at No. 1 on the UK independent charts. This is music that grabs you quickly, gives you no time to think and leaves you wanting to start again.
It won't change your life. But it will stay with you for a good while.
80/100