Although the term supergroup has become lame, I can't help myself but to attach it to BNQT. To be honest, that was the intention of its members, who also happen to be members of the band Midlake, precisely, of Midlake's frontman Eric Pullido. The other members also actively participated: Jesse Chandler, Joey McClellan, and McKenzie Smith. The other protagonists of this project are members of other popular indie and pop bands: Alex Capranos (Franz Ferdinand), Ben Bridwell (Band Of Horses), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), and Fran Healy (Travis).
Pulludo was illuminated with the idea to form a supergroup during Midlake's tour in 2013, a d he noted that his inspiration for it was Traveling Wilburs, a supergroup formed by George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynn and Roy Orbison. The album was recorded and produced by Midlake in their home studio in Texas. Each of the singers contributed with two songs, yet the whole process took several years due to Pullido's perfectionism.
The sound of Volume 1 is coherent, and it leans on 70s pop and bands such as The Beatles, The Doors and Pink Floys. You can also hear similarities with the music of the mother bands of the BNQT's members. For example, Tara could easily find its place on the album of Band of Horses, while Unlikely Force could even be one of their best tracks. 100 Million Miles is equally Pink Floyd and Grandaddy. Hey Banana, sung by Alex Caprano, is one of the album's shiniest moments, mainly due to catchy chorus and impeccable string arrangements. Real Love and its melodic line on horns sounds like an homage to the latest phase of The Beatles.
Final verdict: although the sound of the album is relatively coherent, it lacks balance in quality. There are too many songs that are neither bad nor thrilling.
