The Nomadic – Treading Water

“Treading Water” is the latest single by The Nomadic, a Sydney-based band including singer-songwriter Rob Gaylard, producers and keyboardist Dan Frizza, Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass. It’s their first piece of work in 2024 and an adequate follow-up to the successful debut full-length “My Mind is Racing,” released in 2022. Soundwise, “Treading Water” combines a singer-songwriter approach with some of the finest properties of Americana, but you’ll notice how many other different but complementary music genres found their way into this fine piece of sonic artistry. Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon alt-folk, alt-rock, indie folk, indie rock, indie pop, dream pop, and other similar genres along the way, because The Nomadic fully stacked this number with brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship. These additional sonic ingredients serve as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that unquestionably uplift this song on an entirely new level, while The Nomadic remain loyal to the calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal Americana sound. Therefore, these experimentations with different but complementary music genres resulted in a mesmerizing song that will appeal to even the pickiest listeners.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how acoustic guitars and keyboards shape such a divine ambiance, which serves as a perfect backdrop for Rob Gaylard’s outstanding vocal performance. The band gradually introduces more instrumentations, and the song becomes even more complex. You’ll notice how arpeggiated and regular, semi-distorted chord progressions take center stage while the reverby leads shine on the other side. The keyboards come like a cherry on the top with all the ethereal chord progressions, leads, and ambiances. Rob Gaylard’s exceptional vocal performance emphasizes all these instrumentations by perfectly balancing between low, mid, and high notes. These vocal harmonies sound divine, keeping the attention and guiding the listener from scratch to finish. The Nomadic explores all the fundamentals of Americana music, but you’ll hear how the mentioned reverby guitars add a subtle touch of shoegaze, dream pop, and indie pop, making “Treading Water” even more exciting and pleasant to the ears. Altogether, they gradually shape such a marvelous atmosphere that immediately draws you in and refuses to let go until the closure.

Of course, The Nomadic also thought about the rhythm section. The equally complex, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines offer more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth, but also serve as a binding element between keyboards, guitars, and drums. In the meantime, the skillful drummer dictates the groove and pace with almost half-time, well-accentuated rhythmic sequences. Just like the remainder of the instrumentations, the rhythm section somehow draws the listener into the kaleidoscopic sonic universe, where all the beats, melodies, harmonies, and vocals pop-up from all possible directions, treating the listening apparatus to the max. “Treading Water” is an in-depth exploration into the world of Americana music, where The Nomadic offers a one-of-a-kind sonic experience built upon brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship. The entire band poured all the experience, knowledge, skills, and talent into this composition, making it a pleasant excursion into ethereal sonic realms. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!