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  • Northeast

    ZVICD003

    Artist: The 80/20 Rule

    Label: Dither Music and Noise

    Releasing their debut album “Northeast”, The 80/20 Rule asked writer and critic Jonathan Smith to write their bio for them. Comparing the band with contemporaries such as Editors and Interpol, Smith also suggest that the groups clearest strength lie in their performance on stage. His take on their music is “epic and melodic” and that songs strike a nerve with self-doubters and angst ridden listeners – young or old.

    When the band asked me to write this, I hadn't heard the album or seen them live. So I declined. They insisted, and said that the other option was that some hack from the record company would do it, which at least one band member claimed would lead to him inflicting bodily harm to himself. Then I heard the album and saw them live, and I honestly was swept off my feet. I therefore agreed to write down my thoughts about them.

    Bringing their product to the over-saturated music marketplace, The 80/20 Rule has above all two Unique Selling Points - Songs and a Frontman (capital letters please). It becomes evident when hearing their debut that the songs are a bit above the usual indeischmindie - main writer Mattias Beijmo clearly has a knack for channelling his inner life into epic, melodic tracks. Reviews seem to relate the band with Manic Street Preachers and early Radiohead, but to me they are a cousin to more contemporary bands like Editors, Interpol and Bloc Party. Mattias Beijmo says he’s inspired by contemporary American literature, and yes – there are som...