REVIEW: Noshows (feat. Max Satow) — So Mysterious (SINGLE)
Max Satow’s Noshows is an NYC-based indie project that was strictly a solo act until recently. Rather than propelling the project’s unique blend of funk, jazz, alt-rock, hip-hop, and pop forward under his own power alone, Satow opted for expanding Noshows’ potential earlier this year. He retains responsibility, however, for shaping Noshows’ songwriting vision and the band’s new single, “So Mysterious”, continues translating autobiographical inspiration into work brimming with universal resonance. Satow and his band mates are making the rounds at all of the hot area venues and “So Mysterious” shows they have the necessary breadth of talent to capture a much larger audience.
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The new single boasts dazzling textual variety rather than pursuing a single line of attack. It is a gradual metamorphosis, however, rather than accomplished through grand gestures or shifts. “So Mysterious” begins life as a track with a smooth jazz sound, albeit lacking the schmaltz you might associate with the term. Other contributions along the way such as horns underline this influence. Noshows introduces musical undercurrents along the way that compliments the song’s initial direction rather than pushing against it and there’s an understated modern “feel” in the presentation audiences will gravitate towards.
It isn’t difficult imagining “So Mysterious” sparking to life on stage. The ingredients are there for Satow and his collaborators to adapt it for the stages that Noshows often haunts without losing much, if any, from the studio recording. The vocal melody has ample variety as well and listeners will be both uplifted and entertained hearing the confident, yet disarming, way that Satow navigates through the lead vocal.
Each part of the single’s presentation is addressed, and listeners won’t feel any sense of Noshows cheating the audience. “So Mysterious” isn’t a gimmick-laden confection but, instead, a rare stylistic synthesis that remains malleable, as well, in the hands of outstanding musicians. Making the decision to transition from an one-man project into a creative unit pays off great dividends for the audience.
His effortless sounding incorporation of hip-hop vocals into the song and scattered harmonies heard throughout the track are two more fantastic qualities defining the release. It never comes across as forced. Instead, Satow has loose-limbed ease with the material that never fails to convince listeners of the unit’s bonafides. Noshows sounds like the real deal from the first note and there’s nothing that comes along convincing you otherwise.
The new creative road Max Satow and Noshows finds themselves on have the promise of breaking through to a larger audience. Noshows doesn’t have its sights set on the mainstream, they are far too elastic for such company, but they are on the cusp of greater prominence than ever before. “So Mysterious” will earn them a level of notice they haven’t previously enjoyed and it is well-deserved. There’s no sign it will impede their momentum and creative energies. This New York City unit is poised to break out big following the dark days of the pandemic and practically spark with boundless potential. Listen, but keep listening — they are only going to keep getting better from here.
Colin Jordan
