When looking at the new record Justice Now by Barista from an instrumental perspective, there’s a distinctly progressive element to songs like “Breath,” “The Night Train,” “Little Bird,” and “Bitch,” and yet it never verges on artsy. For Barista, making blue-collar rock that stands within a classical-level realm of elegance was essential to telling the tale at hand in Justice Now, and when taking into account the meticulousness of the final product, I think this was the right move to make. Some prefer simplicity in this kind of music, but to me, there’s no competing with the symphonic intricacies found in more detailed works like “Anything,” “Justice Now,” and “Blues Before Sunrise.”
There is absolutely no fear in the arrangement of “Billions” or “Cage,” but instead a forcefulness that ushers forth untold emotion from Barista I was not expecting to find here. The genuine heart we’re getting from behind the mic is huge, but the singing or the lyrics are never the sole avenues of expression for this act.
All in all, Justice Now is one of the more open and inviting works of rock sophistication I’ve heard in a long while, and the best part is that its best moments – like “The Night Train” or “Lonely By Choice” – come to us free of any burdensome pseudo artistic elements.
If you want a rock album that is more than just sleek hooks and familiar solos as we’ve heard them a dozen or more ways through the past fifty years, Barista has you covered in the charged-up Justice Now this fall. Despite its political overtone, this is an album with a lot of crossover appeal, and perhaps the most diversified influence you’re going to hear from a mainstream-quality act before the year is over and a new set of players is making their way into the headlines. This is Barista’s moment and it feels very hard-earned indeed.
Heather Savage
