We Are

I recently found out that there was a South African band in the 1960s called The 004’s It’s the Dutch pop trio called The 004 that I wanted to write about but I thought it was funny how they got pulled up on Google. So when you google The 004, it comes up that they have been active since 1965. Mike, Kelly and Janet have been time hoping!

My friend Mike and his band, the 004 have recently released their first album after a few EPs released. Mike is a friend of mine from the Sugababes fandom and he always lets us know when the band have a new song or E.P out. As a fan of the Sugababes, I can always pick up when something has been influenced by them. I’ve actually done a few posts about them in the past, which I will link to at the end of the review.

It’s a short album with 10 tracks. Just like some of the albums from the olden days where you get 7-12 tracks and they would be less than an hour. This album is just under 40 minutes. I think the album is about the right amount of length and the tracks flow nicely from one to another. They even put the effort in their album covers and make them look polished.

We Are is thier first album that has been built on two decades of strong friendship. They’ve done a few singles and EPs over the years. Their bio on their Spotify and social media mentions that they’ve been friends for a long time. I think this is really sweet. It’s all about having fun, but they still keep a professional image. Which suggests the band started when they were very young and still at school. Their YouTube channel started in 2008, which feels like a very long time ago. I can sense from the lyrics, references to friendship throughout the album.

The instrumental to Give Me One Chance reminds me of Mariah Carey’s song, We Belong Together. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but I thought it was a nice touch.

We Are as a whole, is an album that is a heartfelt tribrute to pop. The songs contain an influx of indie vibes and 90’s style pop. Somgs like Home, you can taste the Spice Girls inspiration. Some of it feels like it was recorded in a studio and some bits feel like it was recorded at home. I think it’s understandable given the theme of friendship. Some of these songs I remember from over the years, and some are new to me. I think their sound has improved over the years with more experiance and training.

One track I always remember is Thank You because it’s one that I wrote about on Vocal during lockdown. It’s also like a love letter to pop music and I love the music video, especially the Ginger Spice outfit.

The influences and inspiration are obvious. The lyrics give positive messages like in Nothing I Can’t Achieve. And there’s the big play on nostalgia with Little Bench. Little Bench is a track that I think really takes a leaf out of Sugababes’ One Touch’s book. The track still gives me a vibe that it is a rough demo, but it’s intended that way to be edgy and raw.

Track-list

1. About Us

2. Home

3. Give Me One Chance

4. No Match

5. Can’t Let You Go

6. Standing

7. Nothing I Can’t Achieve

8. Little Bench

9. I Hate This Part

10. Thank You

I wish them all best of luck and congrats on the new album. I hope they carry on creating.