Rebellion is getting to be one of the most overrated qualities in all of pop music mostly because it’s everywhere we look these days, but that being said, the new album Justice Now by Barista puts the concept in perspective for hardcore rockers once again. Barista isn’t looking to recycle a lot of the elements we are used to hearing in a lot of rock records from one year to the next, but instead getting back to the core values that once made this genre one of the most dangerous and exciting in all of popular music.
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Justice now has quite the political lyrical undertone, and yet it’s hard to say whether or not any of its tracks have a particular adversary over another. “Breath,” “Bitch,” “Lonely By Choice,” and “The Night Train” seems very metaphorical from where I’m sitting, and yet their verses could also be taken at face value as well. The music itself feels like a statement of protest all on its own, with the primary objective being to raise awareness about how weak rock music has become on the mainstream level. Between the mixture of smart harmonies and unique hooks as well as the overall aggressiveness of the delivery, I think Barista makes it more than clear what matters to them here.
Justice Now is absolutely one of the more curious albums that I’ve had the chance to listen to in rock lately, and not solely because of the maddening crunch that it offers in some of its most powerful moments. There’s a lot to unpack within the artistry of this act, and I have a feeling that this is just giving us a small window into what they could produce if given just a little bit more room to explore their depth. From beginning to end, this is a very intriguing listen, to say the least.
Troy Johnstone