Moral Panic
Moral Panic is more interesting as a record about pressure than as a collection of answers. Nothing But Thieves move between public anxiety and private difficulty, using electronic rhythms, heavy guitars and Conor Mason's adaptable voice to keep the two connected. The strongest songs make unease audible through their structure. The less successful ones state a feeling that the arrangement cannot quite deepen.
“Unperson” is an excellent opening because its broken electronic movement makes the band's familiar force feel unstable. The rhythm keeps the track active without settling into an ordinary rock push. “Is Everybody Going Crazy?” follows with a more direct riff and a very clear chorus. Its separate sections have distinct personalities, giving Mason several different settings within one accessible song. The title track's shift toward dance-rock is another useful extension of that idea.
“Phobia” is the most substantial development. It begins with a close, breathy voice, then lets guitar and rhythm increase the pressure in stages. The song is gripping because the narrator's discomfort changes scale as the music does. “Impossible” takes a more open route and gives Mason a strong emotional melody. It is less formally surprising, but its directness feels earned. The keyboard figure in “Real Love Song” also shows the band finding a hook outside the usual vocal chorus.
The political writing becomes less convincing when broad frustration starts replacing a clearly observed situation. “Can You Afford to Be An Individual?” has an effective, increasingly hostile performance, though its argument leaves less room for complexity than its subject requires. A few gentler songs also struggle to hold attention after the more adventurous arrangements. The reflective “Before We Drift Away” gives the ending welcome space. Moral Panic is an engaging album with several excellent constructions and an uneven grasp of the ideas behind them. It works best when the musicians express the pressure themselves, allowing a rhythm or a change in vocal tone to reveal what a general statement cannot.
