Following the summer 2016 release of their sixth album,
Hard Love, South Carolina's
Needtobreathe extended that effort's promotion with 2018's Forever on Your Side tour. To coincide with the trek, the quartet issued the four-track
Forever on Your Side EP, recorded with Texan production trio
Niles City Sound. On this quick play, their sun-washed
Kings of Leon-meets-
John Mayer sound bleeds through on the smoky "Bullets" and the swelling "Bridges Burn," while the contemplative "Darling" is a tender, yearning moment of restraint in an otherwise upbeat set aimed at injecting their live set with new blood.
Forever closes with its title track, an uplifting duet with tourmates
Johnnyswim, whose husband-wife duo of
Amanda Sudano and
Abner Ramirez provide harmonic backing vocals. Unlike the mainstream-friendly, pop-polished
Hard Love,
Forever on Your Side is a straightforward, rocking gift to both whet concertgoers' palates and tide fans over until the full-length follow-up. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
