This alternative rock five-piece out of North Carolina is ready to claim their rising star status with a heartfelt bang.
After seven years, Never Home is back, and they have come into their own through found footing and DIY diligence. Dare we say that Never Home has, in fact, come home?
There is a content, congenial, full-circle nature to this new EP, and it sounds like the older sibling, if you will, of their self-titled EP from 2018. Everyone has grown up, even the anthemic soundscapes of the band, which are experienced throughout Beautiful Years. It’s a sight to see, an album to hear, and a release worth celebrating. So, that’s what we are doing. We had frontman Nick Klock outline a bit about each song on this album to help us – listeners new and old – unpack the tracks that have arrived with a confidence, a riff-tastic memorability, and a self-awareness post-hiatus. What he gave us was that and more, candidly honoring his own story and the art that has come out of it (which he shares today with guitarists Devon Stone and Gage Owens, bassist Garrett Odell, and drummer Rob Hendley).
Set Sail Alone
“’Set Sail Alone’ reflects a personal journey I’ve been on for years. There’s no grand story, just a simple truth: I am the only one who can truly help myself. I’ve often made half-hearted attempts, backing down when things got tough or frightening.
This song is about finally committing to my own healing – not just for me, but for the people I love. While using the ocean as a thematic device may not be groundbreaking, it’s been my refuge during difficult times and holds a lot of meaning for me. Its vastness serves as a reminder that many of my worries are smaller than I think.”
Beautiful Years
“‘Beautiful Years,’ the title track of the EP, is about the bittersweet nature of nostalgia – how it can make the past seem better than it was and leave you wondering if your best days are behind you. At the same time, it’s a reminder that while it’s ok to revisit the past, it’s not a place to stay. Some of my favorite memories come from the hardest times in my life, and it’s fascinating how we reshape those moments in hindsight.
We actually wrote this song in 2018, right after releasing our self-titled EP. Looking back now, it feels like the start of something new for Never Home. Even then, we knew we wanted to expand into new territory, and ‘Beautiful Years’ laid the foundation for that. The themes of the song have only rang more true for me in the years since, which feels fitting given how much it reflects on time and change.”
I Will Give You All I Have
“This song captures the joy and significance of the best day of my life: my wedding day. On March 7, 2020, just days before the world came to a halt, we were married by the ocean, surrounded by our closest friends and family. The memory feels surreal, as it marked a profound ‘before and after’ in our lives… in more ways than one.”
The Number
“This song is many things – a reflection on a cherished memory, an apology, and a promise to be better. It’s a message to the people in my life and to those who supported Never Home in its early days. I have a tendency to isolate and withdraw when life gets hard, which cost me connections with some of my closest friends and led to Never Home going on hiatus, disconnecting from the people who believed in what we were creating. While I can never reclaim the trust, love, or time that was lost, I’m determined to give everything I have in the effort to make it right.”
Where To Begin (ft. AJ Perdomo)
“In 2018, while working in the yard, the entire closing section of this song came to me all at once. At the time, I had no song to go with it, just this one, single, cathartic verse. It sounded to me like something by The Dangerous Summer – one of the bands who inspired me to start my own band in the first place. On a whim, I emailed AJ [Perdomo, vocalist of The Dangerous Summer] and asked him if he would be willing to lend his voice to the track. He laid down the vocal and sent it back to me within a week. It is an honor to have AJ closing out the EP. It is such a powerful ending, and he brings so much emotion to the track.
For years, I had only this one section of the song written. Writing this song was an interesting exercise; I started with the climax and worked backward to create a structure that could support and amplify that moment. The result is a song without a defined chorus, one that flows unpredictably and features some of the heaviest moments we’ve ever recorded. I’m incredibly proud of how it builds and unfolds.
Lyrically, ‘Where to Begin’ serves as the summary and culmination of the journey told across these two EPs. It traces a path from being a lost 20-something to finding healing and learning to be comfortable in my own skin. The title reflects both the struggle to put this journey into words and the declaration of a fresh start – the beginning of the rest of my life.”
TO KEEP UP WITH NEVER HOME, & LEARN MORE ON WHERE TO PURCHASE/STREAM THE NEW EP, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!
