Elmira, New York‘s own Inches From Sin returns with a new album, We Need Love, which aims to be “both a wake-up call and a balm” for these difficult times. Across its twelve tracks, the band confronts all manner of societal issues while holding fast to one simple truth—love is the only answer to our problems. It is a message as old as music itself, but it is fair to say that, as the world turns ever faster and grows increasingly darker, it is a message worth repeating.
Musically, the album is, both fearless, sonically and lyrically. Opener “Pickle” sets the tone perfectly, laying down skittering, clubland-infused beats that serve as the platform for smooth vocal harmonies, intriguing rap verses, and even flashes of world music—sitar solos soar, grooves err on the exotic, and a swirl of psychedelic textures emanates from this opening salvo. “Just One Flame,” which follows, is similarly soaked in unexpected and far-flung sounds, this time channelling oriental traditions through an electronic dance filter.
From there, the band wanders across various, often unrelated parts of the musical map. “Do You Love Me” marries classic soul vibes with modern rap deliveries; “Don’t Want To” leans into sleek R&B sounds, and “Running Out of Memories” evolves into a rock-tinged ballad, spacious and soulful.
But We Need Love is more than just a collection of songs, when taken as a whole, the adjoining messages and stories found in the lyrics take the listener by the hand a lead them gentley through a journey through where they are asked to consider vulnerability, resilience, and the universal search for compassion, for understanding, for love…all things which seem in short supply in the world right now.
What sets Inches From Sin apart from the pack is their refusal to play it safe. They bend personal experience into sharp social commentary, while simultaneously blending sounds, styles, and scenes that hop across genres, geographies, eras, and expectations. The messages and themes running through the album might be timeless, but the music is very much of the here and now.
And it is their willingness to collaborate with industry stalwarts such as producer and pianist Cas Weinbren on the tracks “Tried My Best” and “Hundred Miles A Minute” that adds even more fresh dynamics and adventurous creativity, broadening the album’s reach and underscoring its bold emotional sweep.
We Need Love isn’t just an album—it’s a call to connect with those around us, our friends and family, as well as those we have yet to meet, who might see the world differently from us, those on the other side of the world. It is only through a global understanding and empathy, a willingness to embrace all humanity as one entity, that we can celebrate our differences yet work together in these entrenched and difficult times, thereby securing a bright future…or perhaps any future at all.
Love is the answer. Love is always the answer.