MMeaning is the most convincing fiction we agree to rehearse together. We borrow it from lovers, from late-night promises, and from the idea that connection will eventually explain itself. The latest single from Los Angeles darkwave act Never Knows Best, titled “Something From Nothing,” understands how fragile that arrangement is. Hope arrives first, eager and untested, while doubt follows with better timing. In this context, nihilism isn’t theatrical; it’s practical, almost polite. The song lingers in that uneasy interval where desire persists after certainty slips away.
With this song, Never Knows Best recalibrates their sound and direction. Their first original release since 2020’s I Guess signals a band refining its posture, choosing precision over sprawl. What began as Cameron Dunbar’s solitary loop-built exercise expands here into a collective form, with Justin Schultz and Scott Neff adding mass and momentum. Each element feels chosen, introduced, then withdrawn before comfort settles in. The inheritance is clear but unforced: the emotional restraint of New Order, the tense vertical lines of Chameleons, the late-night patience of Pink Turns Blue, the disciplined devotion of Depeche Mode. These references form a shared vocabulary. In the present tense, the pressure of Cold Cave, CHVRCHES, Kontravoid, and Crystal Castles registers as atmosphere rather than aspiration.
Something From Nothing is built from analogue synthesizers and standard drum patterns, arranged with focus and restraint. The guitars are treated with delay and reverb, entering in short, controlled lines rather than broad washes. Lyrically, the song moves from initial optimism toward a more cautious awareness. Romantic connection is framed as a place where meaning is sought, questioned, and gradually found wanting. Instead of a dramatic breakdown, the shift is incremental: a growing understanding that attachment often carries expectations it can’t fulfill. The tension settles in that in-between state, where belief remains, but confidence in it has eroded.
Mixed by Chris King alongside Kai Tak, and co-produced by King and Dunbar, Something From Nothing keeps its surface clean while allowing pressure to show through the seams. The black-and-white video, directed by Dunbar, extends this restraint into motion. With Lark Detweiler choreographing and performing alongside Shan Hafez, the piece treats the body as an argument rather than an illustration. It translates hope, desire, struggle, and acceptance into controlled movement: gestures that speak, pause, and move on.
Watch the video for “Something From Nothing” below:
Something From Nothing documents the practice of searching, the discipline of continuing, and the uneasy comfort of knowing that meaning, like intimacy, is temporary…and still pursued. Listen to the track below:
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