Now and Then (2022)
Let’s not beat around the bush—Now and Then is a debut album that sounds anything but raw. It’s confident, polished, and emotionally sharp, loaded with hooks that feel like they were written for the golden hour scene of a coming-of-age movie—but with a punch that catches you off guard. In the best possible way.
For a band that cut their teeth on EPs layered with shimmering melancholy and pop-rock bite, this record feels like the full coming into focus of a sound they’d been circling for years. Now and Then isn’t just cohesive—it’s a statement. A flag planted firmly on the hill of Y2K-era pop rock, fluttering proudly with modern indie and alt influences. It glows, it aches, and it absolutely knows exactly what it’s doing.
Give You Everything opens the album like someone kicking down the door to your heart while firing off a glitter cannon. The track’s anthemic immediacy hits hard—melodically rich, dynamically balanced, and wrapped in twinkling production that feels like sunlight catching a mirrorball—or Edward Cullen. Eliza Klatt’s vocals glide effortlessly, flowing with a velvet-gloved strength, and the harmonies melt like warm butter. It’s seductive, shimmery pop rock with real emotional weight. And yes, it hits you like a truck.
Then comes Save Me, and suddenly the album is gripping your collar with two hands, locking eyes, and refusing to let go. The rhythm section’s tightness drives the song forward without sacrificing its emotional core. The blend of synth gloss and gritty rock feels intoxicating—like if CHVRCHES and Paramore got stuck in an elevator and decided to start a band rather than call for help. Eliza’s vocals? Absolutely flawless. My goodness, an IV hookup, please. No notes.
You leans into that late-2000s pop-rock glow, channeling shades of Hilary Duff or early Kelly Clarkson. It balances throwback sentiment and forward-looking power-pop precision perfectly. Familiar in all the best ways, yet unmistakably Eliza & The Delusionals.
Throughout the record, there’s a steady thread of 2000s post-pop-punk revival—power chords and emotional peaks—laced with modern indie rock’s atmospheric polish. It’s the kind of sound that fits just as well in a packed venue as it does under your headphones while you pretend your drive to the grocery store is a music video.
Tracks like Nothing Yet and Lonely carry this balance beautifully. The former sparkles as an effervescent pop-rock gem, and the latter is one of the album’s most emotionally raw moments. With driving guitar strums and angelic synth lines, Lonely feels less like wallowing and more like gracefully swimming through isolation, with dynamics that keep your focus locked in.
And then there’s Halloween, and look—we have to talk about Halloween. This track builds a sonic atmosphere so thick you could get lost in it for decades. Urgent drums, haunting synths, and a pacing that walks the fine line between dreamy and desperate. It’s a masterclass in pop-rock architecture, and Eliza’s reverbed vocals are utterly hypnotic. The kind of song that makes you stare out a rainy window, bathed in rich blue light.
Bed Song and Get a Hold of You kick the energy back up, reintroducing post-pop-punk guitars and anthemic choruses destined for live singalongs. “You’re stuck in my brain / I get stuck there too” feels ripped straight from a diary you’re not sure you wanted anyone to read—but are so reassuringly glad someone did.
By the time we reach Circles and All the Time, the band is in full flow—fusing 2000s nostalgia with indie rock edge. There’s a momentum to these songs that makes them feel like movement—whether that’s driving too fast with the windows down or emotionally pacing around your bedroom. Both work.
And finally, Now and Then closes the album with a bang—it doesn’t just tie things together, it blows the whole thing wide open. Explosive, climactic, and cathartic, like the emotional exhale you didn’t realize you’d been holding in. It’s a showcase of what this band does best: tension and release, melodic grandeur, and Eliza’s soaring vocals, spotlighting the dark.
⸻
Now and Then is an album that doesn’t just hit—it sticks. It’s dynamic without being overwhelming, nostalgic without being derivative, and deeply honest without ever sacrificing its sense of fun. This is a band that knows what they want to say and exactly how they want to sound while saying it.
This debut doesn’t ask for your attention—it commands it. And if this is Eliza & The Delusionals just getting started, then we’re all in for something very special.
————————————
Highlight Songs:
Give You Everything
Nothing Yet
Halloween
Save Me
Lonely
Now and Then
————————————
Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
Like I said, this is a band that knows what they want to say and exactly how they want to sound while saying it. We owe it to them to buy and listen to every single copy out there in the world. The clock has already started. Get to it!
