Local Review: The Narcs — Local Hero

The Narcs
Local Hero
Is This Guy Bothering You Records
Street: 11.14.2025
The Narcs = Remo Drive x Red Hot Chili Peppers + Nate Smith

Everyone needs a hero. Someone to emulate when the currents of modern disillusionment casts one adrift from clear purpose or meaning. Unfortunately, the Ancient Greeks had it right when they afforded their truest heroes with God status, because those that remain to us in human form tend to let us down — usually through the perils and pitfalls that come with being mortal.

What The Narcs have already figured out is that sometimes, if the hero in question is indeed trapped in their mortal form, every once in a while it falls on them to remind their audience that they’re one of us, too.

I went to one of The Narcs’ shows for the first time recently. It was the night their debut album Local Hero dropped, and I can say with hazy certainty that I did not witness any worshipping of false idols or sacraments being taken (other than the spliff I shared with the bartender before the show). When the opener exited the stage and people began to buzz in anticipation, not only for The Narcs but also because it was a celebratory occasion where they’d hear the album from top to bottom and be there at 9:45 p.m. when it went live on streaming platforms, I knew early-on that this group had something special.

The album itself doesn’t sound much different than the band’s live performance. Their sound is crisp and not over-produced, which accentuates the stellar instrumentation that each musician brings. They seem to operate much like a jam band, using a democratic approach with different members taking the lead at different times in the varying grooves they create. This leads to an eclectic mix of what could be termed generally as indie rock, but contains elements of punk, alternative rock, funk and a certain kind of jazz-rock fusion.

The four members of the band have known each other since junior high, and it shows. They pass the baton to each other with ease. At first you might think that their vocalist, Steven Bartholow, is the leader, and he does have a palpable charisma and immediately nostalgic tone reminiscent of ‘90s and 2000s pop punk acts like blink-182 and Third Eye Blind. But after listening more carefully, you realize there isn’t any one member who stands out the entire time. They play together, melding the professional jazz training that’s evident in the musicality and feel of drummer Trent Wells with the slap-happy funk of bassist Danny Gonzalez, while their guitarist David Azad shores up each track with funky chord progressions and, when he’s leading, positively rips with jagged alt-rock riffs and solos.

Azad kicks off the album in this manner on “God Sounds,” which has an indisputable groove that’s mixed with Bartholow’s emo-tinged vocals. Bartholow stands out particularly in the way he changes between a seemingly reggae-influenced rhythmic delivery in the verses and a more drawn-out cadence in his laid-back chorus. Like most of the album, “God Sounds” is a defiantly danceable tune, serving to heat up the floor as Bartholow encourages his audience: “Keep it up don’t hesitate / Don’t bother with your heart rate / No other choice you have begun / Live by what you said that once.”

“Dancing King” continues in this thematic vein of getting feet moving, but with a smokier tone. Gonzalez’ bass is especially prevalent as he plays alongside and complements Azad’s funky guitar part, while the energy in this song builds and builds, then breaks down, then builds up again, lending it a dynamic structure. Bartholow’s octave-switching at about three and a half minutes shows he knows how to use his voice in a dynamic manner as well. He doesn’t just choose his words wisely; he has keen vocal control that follows each tune but doesn’t overwhelm what the rest of the band is doing.

Wells’ drums take the lead on “Or Whatever,” a punky slacker’s anthem full of self-deprecating levity. “Why would it be my fault,” Bartholow sings, “When I do nothing wrong / Pointing fingers at everybody else but myself for so long.” Wells’ drums are the prevalent force on this track, while Azad’s guitar has less funk and more rock, matching the song’s mood.

“Interlude” is a jazzier, lounge-lizard-esque jam that acts as less of an album interlude and more of an intro into “Missing,” which takes off again, Gonzalez’ bass leading the way, building an energy that culminates in a searing guitar solo from Azad after the final chorus.

As the album draws nearer to a conclusion, “Missing” seems to be a climax, while “Bandit” lets you down easy afterwards. The light-hearted indie ditty shows off Bartholow’s lyrical storytelling ability, as he sings about handling a wild animal with care, using it as a metaphor for being gentle with the things you love even when they hurt you. “Suffer for the things you love,” he sings, “Worth it when you’re wearing gloves.” The band then ends the album with “Muddy Waters,” bringing you back to the dance floor with an unruly, funky, jam-bad-reminiscent energy and more emo-rock moodiness.

While the genres within Local Hero do change and blend together song to song and even within some of the songs themselves, one aspect of The Narcs remains constant: their approach. They build ideas together, then either jam on them as a group or let one of the members take off, whether in Azad’s raging solos, Gonzalez’ Les Claypool-type, funk-focused bass lines or Wells’ complex and high-energy drum parts.

In essence, these “local heroes” or “barefoot bandits” are something more like a functioning democracy of anti-heroes. They are of the people and for the people. Most importantly, they want their people to dance and revel in the freedom that comes from not caring too much about anything, while dabbling in everything. —Kyle Forbush

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