No Evil

The first time I heard No Evil, I was hooked by that rhythm that feels like it’s escaping from a summer on the west coast of Canada. It’s not the fastest reggae-pop of Magic!, but it has a fresh vibe, as if the band had blended the sound of their live shows with a touch of sea breeze. The hook isn’t in explosive choruses or sudden tempo changes, but in that repetitive line that sneaks between the verses and has you humming without realizing it. It sounds like a song that doesn’t need much to shine: a dragging bassline, a drumbeat marking the tempo with precision, and guitars that sound like relief after a long day.

The track was born in the same period when Magic! was putting together their debut album, right when Rude had already opened doors for them in Australia and New Zealand. The band recorded several tracks during that cycle, but No Evil stands out because it captures that exploratory phase: they weren’t trying to sound like anyone in particular, just like themselves at that moment. The song ended up on the same album as Cut Me Deep, the track that Shakira took to Shakira. It’s no coincidence they share space: both songs breathe the same laid-back energy, though No Evil stays in a more intimate register, like the B-side no one expected but everyone ends up humming.