Nick Howe “The Struggle Is Real”

Every now and then it’s really nice to just approach an artist fresh and take a chance on how they might sound. Indeed, all we really knew about Nick Howe, when we first put this EP on, was that he was a pop/rock act (a pretty wide genre!).

The importance of being willing to try something new is emphasised by opening number and title track “The Struggle Is Real”. Not only is it a great little pop/rocker but the lyrics neatly portray the frustrations of being a musician. Things get a bit rockier on “Riches In Heaven” with it’s guitar line, but it also benefits from plenty of catchy ‘na na nas’!

Nick then mellows out with “Caught Up With You”, which is almost a pop/rock ballad. It’s the kind of song which would be absolutely huge if it was recorded by The Vamps or One Direction.  We mean that as a compliment, it has huge cross over/commercial potential. That mellow feel is kept going by “It’s Only Love”, which has someone like Jack Johnson or Matt Costa written all over it. The EP then prematurely comes to an end with “At The Beginning”. This song sees Nick rocking again with an added bit of funk.

This really is a great EP.  The songs have a commercial appeal and definitely have a pop flavour, without being throw away. You could easily see this blasting out on the radio or on the soundtrack to a TV show. We’re definitely glad we gave Nick a chance and would recommend that you do to. If you do want to find out more, check his website out:
http://www.nickhowemusic.com/