Indie rock heavyweight Adam Baldwin has dropped No Rest For The Wicked, a brand new six-track EP packed to the brim with depth and weight. The Dartmouth native intertwines high-class rock rhythms with powerful introspections on his past drug abuse, not shying away from the impact that addiction has had on himself and his surroundings.
The EP was the result of a personal journey Baldwin took three years ago, shutting himself away from everyone in order to comprehend his drug abuse problem. He weaves his tales honestly and rhythmically without compromising composition or nitty-gritty details whatsoever.
“I’m not a religious man, but I was trying to find a god of any sort to save me from myself,” says Baldwin. “I wrote the words in my head during one meeting just by looking at the old cross stitches hanging crookedly around the room, and from listening to the harshest truths I’ve ever heard, delivered by some of the most unassuming folks I’d ever met. Truth is cold.”
We’re greeted by a busy pop-rock beat in “Half A Mind,” and it continues to carry us throughout the track, daring us to learn how to fly while Baldwin’s lyrics break down the barriers of silence around the isolation and pain that comes with addiction. “Shattered” also displays an energy similar to this as Baldwin belts about the collateral damage that his heedless actions have brought to his surroundings.
Twangy strings and a hard-hitting bass are the name of the game in “Salvation.” Here, Baldwin dons the persona of temptation, sneakily beckoning him back into relapse.
“At some point while writing this record, I’d given my addiction a personality,” says Baldwin. “I wanted that to come through on this recording in particular. The guitars had to be jagged, the bass had to growl, the words had to snap and bark.”
“Dark Beside the Dawn” takes on a slower, more peaceful pace. It offers a glimmer of hope in the dark times our protagonist is fighting through; that he will indeed find the strength to maintain happiness somewhere in his life.
The titular track, “No Rest For The Wicked,” takes on a bit more of a lo-fi vibe, it comes to terms with a lack of resolution in one of the most poetic and melodic ways we’ve heard yet.
Baldwin’s latest is an inspiring, gut-wrenching, and unforgettable album. He’s always either keeping you on your on your feet or slamming you back into your thinking chair.
Tour Dates:
03.29.2019 – Dartmouth, NS @ New Scotland Brewing Co.
06. 29.2019 – Sydney, NS @ Breton Brewing Beer & Music Festival