Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The mysteriously named 4N is a solo artist, not a band, and 'God Never Sleeps' is American and independently recorded and released. It suffers from a few gaps in the production values and yet manages to capture an '80s indie pop rock feel with a few intense vocals thrown in for good measure. Stripped down arrangements are countered by some screaming guitar thrown into the mix from time to time to add a few extra flourishes. The songs meander around without really gathering themselves in the vicinity of catchy and it's all very arty but the sound of a hundred '80s bands flood into my head with every song I hear with the ghosts of Japan, Tears For Fears and Duran Duran drowning out what's actually here. Unfortunately nothing here is as compelling as anything those bands recorded. Ultimately, 'God Never Sleeps' manages to fall in a lump somewhere between retro and dated.

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