NTGB. Sunderland. DIY. Okay, got it. This “BURN DOWN THE NOW” single – it’s got teeth. Not sharp, pointy canines, more like the comfy, slightly crooked ones you find on a friendly stray dog. You know the type?

The sound itself, it’s that indie-pop-rock thing, but there’s a pulse beneath it. Something like that old dial-up modem hum that always felt like the universe was quietly breathing nearby. Nick Thompson and Gaz Brown are channeling some kind of determined energy. This isn’t some whimsical daydream; it feels grounded, like the North Sea coast where I imagine they craft these sounds.

Forget about yesterday’s news, they seem to suggest. The future’s messy and maybe even a little terrifying, but it’s coming, so we’ve better just get a move on. And it isn’t a bossy get a move on. It’s more like they’re handing you a slightly battered, reliable compass, nudging you gently on your way. That’s how this all translates, for me, anyway. I once saw a seagull steal a bag of chips and somehow that moment felt linked to this song’s theme. Completely unrelated, sure, but everything is connected somehow, right?

The thing about struggle and focusing onward: isn’t that every single human story, rehashed again and again? Yet here, it feels, well, newish. Like the colour of a sunrise you’ve never seen before. Or when you bite into something expecting one flavour, but you get another altogether – a jolt of unexpected pleasantness.

There’s an honest graft to this. No posturing, no manufactured drama. Just a good honest go at something. I am listening and thinking, ‘Fair play.’ I am also now considering the merits of wearing mismatched socks. Not really sure how I got there.

And as the final chord fades, I find myself pondering whether burning down the “now” is about destruction or just the necessity for a really good bonfire.

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