Song Review: The New Up Have Declared A “No Fly Zone”

The New Up are bringing goth-pop to the forefront but upping the notion of “alternative” to “victorian”. Although they still have the sugared synths that make the genre massively friendly, they also add a debonair feeling through the serpentine riffs of ES Pitcher. Yes, I know that serpentine is equated with “snake”, but the slithering of her voice is not negative or venomous. A snake slides in seduction and rattles to mark its entrance. In many ways, that is what Pitcher’s voice in “No Fly Zone”. 

“No Fly Zone” is indie pop with a dark under-tone. Pitcher sings with a prowess over a baseline that sounds like crushed gravel. She has a phenomenal range that she casually scores through the song to show off her boredom with being bored. It may seem strange to be bored with being bored, but when people come up with plain rules to live by and then repeat them vigorously, you can reach a point of being so tired of feeling tired that you grow apathetic. “No Fly Zone” is the stirring of listeners’ spirits to break apathy, and combat the exhaustion that can overtake a person when they see the irrational constructs of humankind, especially when its comes to borders. For The New Up, the earth was never made to divide and mark, but to live and share. Hence, their usage of sonics that are mutually grainy and glamorous. To show the earth is too all, you need a sense of humble glory, and Pitcher has that with her powerful voice and The New Up’s inquisitive message: Why do we live to separate ourselves from each other, when we dream of life being shared? Our greatest moments are together.

The New Up is going on tour soon, to which I have left the dates on the bottom. In addition, their new album Tiny Mirrors is set to hit your headphones on February 3. Yet, I want to leave you with their amazing, wise words, from a Substream Magazine interview, on the pointlessness of manufacturing earthly life according to borders: 

“What is the true purpose of borders? Is it to serve the interests of the everyday working person? Or is it to protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful few? No Fly Zone professes that borders were made by the wealthy and powerful, for the wealthy and powerful, and that the true natural state of our existence on earth is to have the freedom to go where we want, when we want. Borders are simply false divisions we create for ourselves, with real and dire consequences that affect the everyday lives of those within them. Using plain statements like ‘all our lives must equate to something’ and existential questions like ‘why are we here?’ it urges us to look more deeply at the divisions we create for ourselves, and to strive for true meaning that goes beyond borders and overcomes these superficial divisions.”

Tour Dates:
1/20: Sacramento, CA @ Yolo Brewery
2/24: San Francisco, CA @ Noisepop w/ Rogue Wave
4/2: Oakland, CA @ The New Parish w/ The Slants
For More Information On The New Up Click Here