Northern Arms lifted the veil on Americana alchemy in ‘This Thing Called We’

An amalgamation of influences from Bowie, Nick Cave, Arcade Fire, Velvet Underground and Pulp was always going to transpire as a cosmically compelling Tour De dark melodic Force, but what wasn’t a given was how much This Thing Called We by Northern Arms would stir the soul to such a viscerally amorous degree.

Northern Arms lifted the veil on Americana alchemy in his latest single, for which the Philadelphia-haunting song crafter enlisted the help of a stellar lineup of instrumentalists, who all brought their own profoundly deft touch to the art-rock installation.

If This Thing Called We came before Bowie’s Heroes, the single that will never be lost to history would easily be considered derivative. That may sound blasphemous until you’ve drenched yourself in the decadently morose romanticism; feel free to hit play and argue with me, because the way the single encapsulates the heart-wrenching pain that true love can leave us to linger in couldn’t be closer to the agonising mark.

Stream This Thing Called We on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast