After living all musicians’ dream as a touring band in the UK, Accidents Never Happen is amongst their Norwegian peers again. Their return to the homeland is welcomed by a revival of Dead Letter Records based in Trondheim. What’s the crack? What has Accidents Never Happen become? ‘That style you like is going to come back as gum’ hums ANH on the opening track. A band that has experienced turmoil in the north of England has reached for a smoggy carrot and struck something. It is difficult to divide and separate bands within indie, post-punk and hardcore genres. Terms are tossed and dropped like stones in the water. Few labelled bands are able to resurface and breathe. ANH definitely has a steady pulse.
There are references to the over-cited Joy Division and Depeche Mode, as well as early Modest Mouse and Interpol. It sounds fresh and dirty at the same time, but this album is not revolutionary; it is primitive post-punk with hardcore influences. The battery section on this album is progressive and at times the bass pulsates like a monster from an urban city in recession. The songs make you want to open up a bottle of beer and prepare for a night on the piss. ANH works as foreplay for youths towards desperate manhood. It is somewhat discouraging that a Norwegian band has to go abroad to write with experience like ANH.
The production is challenging and delicate with soothing stereo effects. The guitars wrap the tension from the rhythm section into a juicy taco shell threatening to fall apart at any time. But there is no rush on this album, sinking towards the deep end. The band inhabits credible self-esteem that makes songs about urban instincts acceptable; wanting to fuck, drink and smoke like boys that “no longer want to turn into men”. If this is the truth, “The Truth Should Be Sexy”.
When listening to “Jesus Dean”, the intro is magnificent and clever. The elements of voice, synths and feedback noises on this album help build a momentum that lasts. The words are relevant for a generation with priorities and challenges that are distant for most, but relevant for students with irrelevant education, and musicians who seek real emotional trash in a polished and shallow environment. ‘Someday you’ll get where the sun doesn’t scare the living daylights out of you,’ Mostue sings in “Kings, Queens and Shadows”, ending the album with “Pretty Face, Ugly Mess” — ‘Oh, sweet Mary if you are so special how come you don’t stand out in a crowd’.
A strong, relevant album with “Kings, Queens And Shadows”, “Jesus Dean” and “That Style You Like Is Going To Come Back As Gum”, as standout tracks. Still, I hope for better days to come.
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