Courtney Nord’s latest single is an expansive synth rock piece of epic proportions, a sprawling, multi-phase arrangement and composition, crisp and clean production, and more than anything else, solid songwriting, making for a memorable and repayable listen.
A Los Angeles Native, Courtney Nord is a singer/songwriter whose sound on Wasteland is peppy, adventurous, massive, and bold. The song is full to the brim of fine production details that build alongside Courtney’s soulful performance for a final result that oozes personality and color. A vivid affair, the guitars are snappy and twangy, and a lead guitar that plays near the end has one of the sharpest and most exciting tones in my recent memory, and a line it plays that is built around dissonance sounds like it’s about to tear itself apart.
Courtney’s Emo Contemporary self-described music genre is pushed to the front by the terrific production job from Adam Teller, whose production of the beat and the synths is nothing short of masterful. His treatment of Courtney’s vocals is also good, and manages to get out the melancholy she was feeling when she came up with this song, adding more and more colors to the final musical tapestry with his choices for EQing, compression, and his tasteful handling of reverbs and delays.
Wasteland is a musically engulfing experience that was compelling, inviting, and exhilarating. Full of intricate details and of delicious performances, Wasteland is a song that you’ll find yourself repeating again and again.
