In 2023 long time friends and songwriters Carl Berglund and Peter Ledin decided to put together the band that they dreamed of, a band that would close the gap between classic AOR and modern rock and bring something new to the melodic rock scene. They teamed up with bass player Mikael Hagström (ex- Age of Reflection), drummer Richard Holmgren (ex: Scaar, Grand Design, Wolf) to form the new melodic rock group Nationwide. The band searched for a completely new voice and are happy to introduce singer Daniel Groth. Daniel was an immediate perfect match, and was the perfect match to how Carl and Peter wanted the band to sound. The album was self produced by the band the mixing and mastering carried out by none other than Erik Martensson band member of Eclipse, W.E.T. & Nordic Union ,also very talented producer and songwriter at Mass Destruction Production.

“Fade Away” starts this album with great momentum, ,a very catchy melodic rock track some great vocals, harmonies in a very catchy chorus ,great melodies & keyboard touches, a very cool guitar solo a very impressive start. ”Dreams” is a modern mid tempo melodic track with modern rhythm ,fantastic  melody, great guitar work with some smooth clear vocals. ”Can't Get Over You” is another fantastic track which doe not disappoint. ”Without You” the third single is just simply a fantastic melodic rock track which has all the ingredients of a hit record great lyrics ,great melody ,vocals ,infectious chorus definitely one of my favourite tracks of 2024 absolutely superb. ”In Your Eyes” is really more of the same fantastic execution Daniel Groth has a really great voice a perfect fit vocally for this album.

”Passion Ignite” is a more hard rock style track with some really cool guitar runs with a blistering solo. The title track “Echoes” is a great melodic/AOR track some lush melodies, pure Scandi-Rock of superb quality and delivery. ”The One” the second single from this album has a feel good vibe to it, anthemic melodic rock track great synth intro killer guitar riffs ,harmonies .”The Last Goodbye” the ballad of the album has a beautiful simplicity to it, the piano sounds beautiful with some heartfelt and emotional vocals which have a timeless rich quality to them very endearing. ”The Reason” the first single which really wetted my appetite when I first heard it, knowing the pedigree of musicians in this band made me excited for the albums release. ”The Other Side” has some nice pounding drums at the start launching into a great track to finish off this album a really solid rock track, a great finish to this album.

Nationwide “Echoes” is a very strong release with a band made up of superb musicians with vast experience Every track is superb musically and vocally. The production and mixing is absolutely incredible yet again another great job by Erik Martensson with his expert touches giving the songs that excellent quality and sound. Absolutely brilliant album which for me is the best debut album by an band/artist of 2024!,and really looking forward to future releases! 100% will be one of top 3 albums of the year! Another great Pride & Joy release, definitely a must have album of 2024.