Alt-rock had its heyday in the ‘90s, with countless anthems pouring out of oversized stadiums and radios blaring chunky riffs twisted around the attitudes of overly theatrical singers. But musician Steve Alex knew there was more to discover within the genre’s turbulence and idiosyncrasies – and if time had been kinder to those sounds, maybe he would have gotten the chance to fully explore and challenge the craggy contours of that aesthetic. In the years following his survival of that decade, he founded Four Star Riot, a band dedicated to renewing and adapting alternative rock in ways that might have been seen as heretical in its zenith.
Later, under the mantle of Never Heavy, the vehicle for his solo sonic experiments, he quickly shed any expectations and leaned into a multi-genre world of riffs, introspection, and songwriting prowess. His self-titled debut as Never Heavy was released in 2022 and found Alex trekking through a variety of aesthetics, exploring internalized singer-songwriter mannerisms one moment and then veering off into slightly more muscular rock landscapes the next. Catchy and emboldened by an awareness of rock’s inherent indebtedness to melody, these songs resisted the anthemic bombast of his earlier work and settled into a happy medium of pensive influence and personal experience.
For his upcoming sophomore album, Never Heavy is One Full of Light, Alex develops a sound unbound by past musical exercises – fluidity is the guiding principle. Aspects of folk, shoegaze, and alt-rock tumble down across one another, starting a chain reaction of unpredictable movements that speak to his rhythmic tenacity. On his latest single, “Anything More”, he channels classic rock ballads and softer indie pop excursions into a song that feels timeless, existing outside the normal flow of time. An acoustic guitar circles his voice, slowly building a gait that shuffles and saunters instead of racing out of sight. Organ and electric guitar soon join in, voices echoing from nearby atmospheres. It’s serene though you can sense the smallest musical turbulence just beneath its surface.
The song is enveloped in affection and a sense of emotional equilibrium, imbued with an elegiac reflection on life and its many twisting avenues. Alex provides a statement of intent: “We may argue from time to time, but I wouldn’t trade our little life for the world. I don’t need anything more than you.“
Listen to the song below.
Never Heavy’s new album, Never Heavy is One Full of Light, is due out August 30. Follow the band on Facebook and Instagram.
