ANC4 - Strange Tide

It’s not surprising ANC4 took a guitar-driven, melodic approach on its second release, considering how well that worked on the Swedish band’s 2019 self-titled debut. But Strange Tide, available from Kool Kat Musik, has a massive sound compared to its predecessor. If founding members/songwriting duo Roger Arvidson and Tomas Nilsson wanted to make sure their compositions would immediately grab the listener’s attention, they’ve definitely succeeded. One might even call this new material overpower pop.

Backed by fellow veterans of the Swedish music scene bassist Janne Borgh and drummer Niclas Österberg, Arvidson and Nilsson have created the perfect album to convert anyone who claims power pop is strictly for wimps. Other than an occasional mid-tempo change-up, the 16 tracks are delivered at full throttle. Especially “Go Easy,” which powers its positive sentiment with energetic guitar strumming that recalls The Byrds on “Eight Miles High.” Even “The Man Who Is Afraid Of Everything,” a song about a guy who’s nervous all the time, packs an instrumental punch.

Strange Tide also benefits from consistently impressive harmony vocals. “Struck Gold,” “Is It Me Again,” and “Everything Turns Blue” are just a few examples of how inventively these guys blend and twist their voices together. ANC4 takes a bit of a theatrical approach on “Romantic Fool,” using a working class Brit accent for the ironic lyrics. The wistful “There Goes My Baby” could have been a mid-1960s hit single by The Searchers, and like a lot of songs here, deals with a broken relationship.