There are layers to the collective identity of rock music, but Barista is more than aware of this. In the album Justice Now, we aren’t staring down the barrel of assaultive grooves and pulverizing riffs alone, but instead genuine harmonies and lush melodic divots where our singers can find optimum footing. There are lyrical questions and sonic answers, a touch of danger to compliment the familiar, and although pressurized by a tight mix, there’s scarcely a moment in which the music doesn’t sound as fluid as it would in a proper live setting (which is hard to do in the recording studio).
Instead of “Anything” and “I Exist, Right?” sounding like two different stories, they feel like excerpts from the same grand narrative Barista is building from the ground up, which undeniably makes this feel like a bit of a concept album right from the jump. My initial sit-down with Justice Now left me feeling jarred by the progressive pinnings, but I would be lying if I said this was a look the act isn’t wearing well. They sound theatrical and dramatic when it works, which is not always the case in a piece as embracive of indulgent themes as this entire tracklist is.
I couldn’t find a spot of selfishness in this mix, and I found “Breath,” “Justice Now,” “Cage,” and “Lonely By Choice” to be especially exemplary in showing off Barista’s mindful songcraft. Compositionally, these are really well-rounded tracks that tell us a lot about who their creator is, and comparative to the reticent output a lot of similar artists have been producing throughout the whole of 2022, this is a much more complete offering (and not exclusively because of the progressive themes). Justice Now takes us full circle, which is becoming a lot to ask when picking up any pop record these days.
The underground vibes are off the chain in Justice Now, but I don’t think we’re going to be seeing Barista haunting the shadows of the indie circuit forever. There’s too much panache in “Anything” and “Billions” alone for this player to stay below the radar of the mainstream for much longer, and anyone who would debate as much clearly has not heard the magic of this LP for themselves just yet. The dynamics here are memorable as are the voices on the other side of the speakers, and in time I think Justice Now could be considered among the better rock albums to have been released in 2022 from a critical standpoint.
Chadwick Easton