Single Review: Never2Late – “Love is Wise”
Visit Spotify and look up “Never2Late” and you’ll come up against a challenge. Not counting artist names in which there are spaces between the words, and not including variants like Never2Late2Sing, Never 2 Late Crew and Mr. Never 2 Late, you’re still faced with no less than five musical acts calling themselves Never2Late. This artist is one of those.
The music for review didn’t come with a one-sheet, so it was left to me to do a bit of digging to glean background information. Incongruously, a site focusing on orthopaedic products (!?) provided my first clue: Never2Late features guitarist and singer Steve Bollen. Dr. Bollen is a sports surgeon in Bradford, Yorkshire with more than 16,000 operations to his credit. The other core member is also called Steve; the group has been around for a decade or so, and got its start as do most bands: playing covers.
More relevant to this review, however, is the fact that Never2Late have released a 2015 album, It’s Hell in Happy Town, as well as EPs in 2018, 202 and 2022. A quick survey of the group’s previous releases is highlighted by “You’re My Rock,” a melodic and catchy midtempo original included on the 202 EP, New Beginnings.
And now comes “Love is Wise,” a single released in late October. A rock-solid drum figure and some nicely crunchy guitar work introduce the tune. The lyrics explores questions about why humanity fights “for a piece of land,” a question of particular resonance against the backdrop of current event in the Middle East and Eastern Europe (but with timeless relevance). “Politics and religion have a lot to answer for,” the song wisely observes.
Spotlighting a problem without offering some sort of solution isn’t a a particularly productive strategy, and Never2Late understand this. Their solution to the problem is a simple and straightforward one: love. A found-sound spoken-word midsection works well on this studio recording; it remains to be seen how that bit would be executed live onstage.
Classic rock arrangement values are wrapped around this tune, placing the guardedly hopeful lyric in the context of an accessible melody. Nice stuff that invites further investigation of this group.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.