NEVER APART – Single Review: “Sick of It”

I have a special fondness for female-fronted bands, and British group Never Apart fit the bill quite nicely. Consisting of the talented Alice (Al) Clarke (lead vocals), Rhys Scott (rhythm guitar), Ben Ollis (lead guitar), Nathan Gummery (bass) and Louis Baille (on drums, who recently left the band), the Coventry-based group plays a hard-hitting style of edgy melodic rock, with compelling lyrics addressing such issues as relationships and emotional well-being that many of us can relate to. They released their debut single “Damaged” in late 2019, then followed in May 2020 with “Hold On Hope“, which I reviewed. Now they return with a terrific new single, “Sick of It“, which dropped January 7th.

Never Apart wastes no time getting down to business, blasting through the speakers with a torrent of raging guitars before things settle down to a throbbing bass-fueled groove, overlain with chugging riffs of gnarly guitars and heavy thumping drumbeats. The music ebbs and flows with each verse and chorus, punctuated by a beautiful interlude of shimmery guitars, sparkling synths and delicate piano keys in the bridge, only to explode into a dramatic barrage of shredded guitars and pummeling rhythms in the final chorus. The band’s musicianship is impressive, and gets better with each new release.

Alice has a commanding vocal style that’s well-suited to the band’s heavy rock sound, and on this track her clear, highly emotive vocals are quite effective in conveying a strong sense of exasperation and anger as she belts out the searing lyrics in which she gives her former lover the big kiss-off.

You’ve got some nerve boy 
you're playing me like a toy 
with all that I ever do 
it seems its always too much for you 
But now you won't see me 
I'm running away from you 
pleasure is pain now baby 
more fool on you 
  
You broke the wall around me 
built up the lie I believed 
you burned it all now 
I'm so sick of it  
you dragged me down to the ground 
so lost but thought I was found 
you burned it all now 
I'm so sick of it 
 
I gave you everything 
now you’ll never see me again 
with all of your games in my head 
I’ll never forget. 
But now you won’t see me 
I'm running away from you 
Your pleasure is pain now baby 
more fool on you 
 
Why am I so hard to please 
cried my eyes to start to freeze 
 
You burn it all