B-Side Guys

Precision and passion rarely coexist so harmoniously. Halifax-based band Norc’s February 2025 single “In The Meantime”—the third release from their forthcoming debut album—marries math rock’s complex structures with psychedelia’s expansive textures, creating a sonic environment that simultaneously challenges and comforts.

The Nova Scotian outfit delivers on their promise to create music “through rose-tinted glasses,” yet this optimistic lens doesn’t shy away from examining life’s more confining aspects. This duality manifests immediately in the production, where crystalline guitar figures evoke their described “gentle flowing of an ice cold river” while rhythmic complexities create productive tension that prevents easy resolution.

Early in the track, Norc establishes thematic focus on societal limitation, referencing being “told to take just one of a thousand choices” while fearing the perceived “failure” of reconsidering one’s path. This observation serves as perfect foundation for a song that musically embodies both constraint and liberation—shifting time signatures and interweaving instrumental passages creating sense of movement within seemingly rigid structures.

The chorus offers momentary respite with its directive to “count the dimes” in “the meantime,” suggesting that mundane tasks might provide temporary distraction from existential questions. This juxtaposition of philosophical inquiry and practical action creates the track’s emotional core, perfectly complemented by arrangements that blend technical complexity with sensory pleasure.

Particularly compelling is the imagery of “liquify[ing] the boxes that are built around you,” which serves as both lyrical centerpiece and musical mission statement. This transformation of solid into fluid mirrors the band’s approach to genre boundaries—allowing math rock’s angular precision to dissolve into psychedelic exploration without sacrificing either’s essential character.

The arrangement demonstrates remarkable patience, allowing ideas to develop fully before introducing new elements. This compositional discipline creates immersive listening experience where each section earns its place through purposeful evolution rather than novelty. When the song builds to its conclusion declaring standardized existence “the crime,” the accumulated musical and lyrical context gives this simple phrase unexpected emotional weight.

As preview of their upcoming debut album, “In The Meantime” positions Norc as band with both technical prowess and emotional intelligence. Their ambition to share their music “with the world” seems entirely justified based on this offering—a track that invites listeners to run their “fingers through hot sand at the beach” while contemplating the structures that both protect and confine us.