The Go Find’s third record is a more straightforward pop record than their previous works. While those two albums were dreamier and relied more on atmosphere and electronics,
Everybody Know’s It’s Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight is very much a guitar record that, while quiet at heart, has plenty of punchy hooks and a direct emotional appeal. The group's leader Dieter Sermeus, has seemingly given up on his
Radiohead albums and spent time studying up on his
Prefab Sprout and 70’s soft rock albums, because while the sound is modern, there is a backward-looking feel that comes through in the vocals and the songwriting. His singing and the way it is recorded wouldn’t sound out of place wedged between the laid-back crooners in
America and
Bread; some of the guitar chords he, Nico Jacobs and Tim Coenen throw in now and then are “jazzy” enough for
Steely Dan. Or
Prefab Sprout. The mix of sophistication in the arrangements, quiet desperation in the lyrics, and slickness of sound is very mid-'80s and brings to mind not only
the Prefabs but also Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It’s an area of ground that a more recent vintage of singer/songwriters like
Josh Rouse and
Sondre Lerche have also covered at times, and
the Go Find really nail it here, especially on the best tracks on the album like the bouncy "It’s Automatic," the almost rocking "Lottery Man," and "Neighborhood," which sports some ridiculously warm synths and a great chorus.
Everybody Knows is not just an exercise in nostalgia, it’s an album that creates a mood of relaxed melancholy that’s easy to slip into, and easy to carry around with you all day. Starting with the title track and then throughout, the gentle melodies, Sermeus’ slip of a voice, and the restrained lushness of the arrangements capture you and don’t let go. It’s an impressive feat of songwriting and production with a beating, bleeding heart, and makes the previous
Go Find albums, which were good enough, sound like mere warm-ups to this. Anyone who’s a fan of intelligent, highly emotional, yet thoroughly relaxed music will find much to like on
Everybody Knows. ~ Tim Sendra