New County's debut, Lives We Lead, will not disappoint fans of the current pop- scene They kick it off with the opening track, "Impossible," which has an upbeat intro that pulls you in right from the brief gang-vocals at the beginning. The song is a quirky fast-paced pop song with a catchy chorus packed with "oh's" and toe tapping. The next song, "Over It, " has another catchy intro. The song has a more generic pop feel filled with repetition, but is definitely good for sing-alongs. "I'm No Him" starts on a slower pace, halting the energy that the previous songs had been building up. It has a bit of a country sound going on with the guitars, changing the direction of the so far solid pop album. The song drops suddenly, which comes as a surprise. As soon as you've registered the end of the song, the upbeat feel is back with "Circles. " The closing track "Say What You Mean" brings Lives We Lead to an end with a similar feel to the rest of the album. The track brings it back full circle with some more gang-vocals to close it out. Lives We Leadis a welcome introduction to New County's work. While similar to a good amount of the pop bands out there, they definitely provide the energy needed to keep their listeners with them.
3.5 out of 5 [KD]