An old musician friend of mine once told me, “If you’re looking for sincerity, stick with local bands. We’ve got that in spades.” It’s an incredibly true statement, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, in Cincinnati, we’ve got that local music sincerity down pat. Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else, the new release from local indie dream rockers Carriers, has more honesty on its tracks than words in its title.

From the start of the album, like a tape coming up to speed, songwriter Curt Kiser, formerly of Pomegranates and Enlou, builds worlds through his songs, with layers of reverberating guitars and keyboards with dream-like vocals weaving in, out, and through. It is not an album for those with a short attention span (with only two tracks coming in under 5 minutes), but the environments created, and stories told pay off for the intentional listener. 

Now Is The Time is a solid release from beginning to end, but there are some standout tracks. Opening track “Patience” plays like the soundtrack to a happy memory of a wonderful road trip. “Make It Right” has an infectious rhythm and subtle hooks that will get stuck in your head. Closer (and near title track) “Now Is The Time” bookends the back of the album nicely, with a long, trippy music-into-noise fadeout that just makes me want to play the album again.

Produced by Cincinnati-mainstay and Afghan Whig John Curley, and featuring The National’s Bryan Devendorf on drums & percussion, Now Is The Time finds a balance between synth space pop and good old indie rock, and explores that balance in every direction. It’s a little spacier than Silversun Pickups, a little less garage than Galaxie 500, and maybe just a bit warmer than Lord Huron, while still maintaining a unique and dynamic sound. This album is not to be missed.

Tracklist:

1.    Patience

2.    Peace of Mine

3.    Make It Right

4.    Heaven’s People

5.    Dangerous Dancer

6.    Daily Battle

7.    Another Guy

8.    Not This Way

9.    Now Is The time