The Mustang’s lead singer and guitarist Adam Norsworthy takes us on a track-by-track guide to The Band’s brand new studio album, Nothing Stays The Same.

Put Your Money On Me

“I wrote this after coming up with the title. It sounded confident and muscular and that’s how I wanted the words to pan out. I wanted the riff and vibe of it all to be very confident, almost arrogant, and I think that’s how it works. The Band sounds great on this, and it really sets our stall out as an opener for the album. You can tell immediately we have stepped up a gear”.

Look The Other Way

“This one came out of a jam at a rehearsal. I started playing the riff and everyone joined in and suddenly it sounded like a song. It’s great fun to play live as it has that hypnotic, cyclical feel. You can see people nodding their heads to the beat straight away..or maybge they’re just nodding off...it’s hard to tell in the dark!”

What Are You Trying To Say?

“This is a lovely, mellow grooving sort of song with a strong lyric and melody. The Band sounds very comfortable on this one. It’s about my dread of getting letters from girlfriends – they are so weighed down in words and meaning that, being a bloke, it tends to wash all over me after a while! As the lyric says, if you’ve got something to say, say it face to face!”

Looking Down The Well

“This has been the album’s most popular song by far. It just has a great bass line and harp solo that you can’t help but tap a toe to. The reception it gets live is fantastic. It has an interesting chord sequence that just grabs your interest and never lets go. Sometimes you just know when you have a winner, and I think we all felt that after we debuted this one. It’s also a drumming tour de force. Mind you, it’s very different from the acoustic demo I gave The Band many months ago! Just shows you how much better collaboration can make things sometimes.”

Taking My Water Upstairs

“I wrote this after a long night at Derek’s place. We’d stayed up and talked for England, really set the world to rights. As we called it a night at what must have been 3am, he asked if I needed anything. I just replied, “no thanks, I’m taking my water upstairs”. I was knackered but couldn’t get the phrase out of my head, so I stayed up and wrote the whole song that night and played it for Derek the next morning. It’s just a simple blues, with a nod to Robert Johnson, whom we all love. Jon’s drumming is so tasteful.”

Keep On Loving

“Derek and I initially wrote this in his kitchen, and we liked it but kept it on the shelf for a while as we couldn’t quite make it work. Then we played it to The Band and must have spent hours on it together in rehearsals. Finally we got an arrangement up and running once Ben came up with this great bass line. Like a few songs on the album, it shows real creativity and a lack of the predicatble. We worked hard on this one and it was worth it”.

Long Distance Line

“This is one of Ben’s – who seems to dominate the album’s second side. A more beautiful love song about being apart you will not hear. He played the chords to us at Derek’s place a few months ago and we were all hooked straight away, we knew we had to get him to work on it. Typically for Ben, he was modest about it but eventually got to work, and thank God he did, a real gentle highlight of the album and one of his very finest songs.”

Go Ahead

“Derek’s words, my tune. The groove reminds me of 60s soul records, and the melody is very old school, but that fits the lyric I think, really well. Ben and I think Derek may be the best lyricist in the band and his simple, heartfelt and touching lyrics will show you why. Lots of fun to sing live, and yet more texture for The Band’s set list. Seems very popular”.

Out Of Line

“This is Ben writing at full pelt...he can write those really soft tender songs and then knock you out with something much harder and rockier. This is what it is, unpretentious, simple and straight forward...it goes down a storm live and has a great riff on the chorus”.

Nights Like Those

“...and this is exactly one of those tender songs I was mentioning. A lovely, shimmering folk blues that I think Ben had knocking about for ages. I love the way it tells a story and, like much of the album, has the theme that nothing lasts forever. Through the whole record you can hear The Band growing up and acknowledging that we have moved on from the last record, both musically and personally. This song sums that theme up very nicely”.

So Many Roads

“Another of Ben’s inspirations, and a real curve ball this one. It’s the album’s most unique song, and has a monster sound and riff. Derek’s harp really lifts the song, which is about having so much in life still to do. It’s a very positive song, and I like the way it starts winding up the album with a positive note”.

Good Luck Girl

“In my opinion this is Derek’s greatest song, and one of the very best moments on the album. It’s an elegant, mature and reflective song that has many beautiful lyrics. I think the recording has captured it very well. When I wrote the melody I wanted it to be as good as Derek’s lyrics, and I hope it is. Joy to sing as it is so emotive. Lovely, simple harp too. I feel strongly it’s one of our very best ever songs”.

Nothing Stays The Same

“Well, we have ended so many records with big ballads that we felt a change was needed – after all, nothing stays the same! This is an all out rocker with a terrific groove and riff. We wrote this over many rehearsals and when we finally nailed it we knew it could only go last on the record. I’m very happy with the finale, it’s big and powerful and it gives me a chance to rock out on the guitar a bit. Jon too is on great form, but really everyone is firing on all cylinders here and you can hear the enjoyment in the playing. Really fitting end to the record, then”.

I feel we have moved on a lot with this album. It was all recorded live and you can hear the energy in the playing, but there is also a depth to the songs and a space in them that only more songwriting experience and craft can bring. I hope these are elements we have always been developing, and I already can’t wait for the next album! But until then, I hope you enjoy this one. As always, there is something on there for everyone...”.

The Mustangs - Nothing Stays The Same
Reviewed by AN