“Parting amicably” is a rare description for a band’s last show. After five years, two albums and two EPs, NO/NO is calling it a day on their own terms. With the release of Diagnostic (digital album and cassette on Gloss Records), the band will offer a last waltz at Mad Planet.
Going in, Harrison Colby (Guitar, synth, vocals) said the band’s objective was “to write pop songs that really connected with people. We made music I'm really proud of—I don’t ever cringe at early stuff.”
NO/NO emerged from the ashes of the much-missed The Delphines. When vocalist/synth player Cat Ries joined, the overall vibe changed. “We generally wrote in the studio first,” Colby said of the band’s work process, “then brought that to a live setting. For three of us it was the same personalities on / off stage, but Cat would definitely transform into the High Priestess of Pop.”
Diagnostic collects eight songs presenting the band’s melodic new wave/synth pop/call-it-what-you-will music. “The Last Thing You Said” takes swirling keyboards pushed by an insistent tick-tock groove. “The Tourist” is easy on the ears; so well mixed, it could’ve been a radio hit in another era. “Gutterfly” relies on a hook built from a descending riff and a bassline that never quits. Standout cut, “The Whistleblower,” utilizes a buoyant synth line balanced with crunching guitar to make timeless dance pop.
With television and film credits on the band’s resume, Colby is satisfied with NO/NO’s run. “I think with hindsight closing in, I can say we pretty much did what we set out to do. Wanting to connect with people with pretty personal songs and make records we really stand by. I think as a musical project it was a success.”
As for the future, the members of NO/NO don’t show signs of slowing down. Ries is in the band Credentials, Colby in Sex Scenes and the band Rexxx with Ryan Reeves (bass)—who is also in Surgeons in Heat, and drummer Jeremy Ault is in Pay the Devil.
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NO/NO perform with Dirty Dancing, Holy Shit! and Storm Chaser at Mad Planet on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 9 p.m.
