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New York's DDC Labs made a sealed-seam 1400 for New Balance that blew our minds, and the 574 'Sonic Pack' is some strong work from them too. People could get precious about the 1400 though, seeing as it was once a pinnacle shoe with a price point to match. But the 574? We love this snub-nosed silhouette, which until recently, has been left out the party when it comes to special projects. But we'll raise no objections if New Balance eff with the shoe's formula a little. That's not to say a sleeker version of the shoe would be welcome round here. Smoother versions of heritage pieces, whether they're beautifully awkward designs or perfect already are, for the most part, bad. Lest we forget (it's still scorched into our peripheral visions after we saw them in a showroom), the pointy-toed Stan Smith, a shoe so hideous we wanted to tear out our eyeballs and frantically hurl them to the crows, was a slicked out remix, and one of the worst things we've ever seen. And trust us. We've seen some crap. By employing DDC, New Balance are deftly avoiding such chasm-sized pitfalls, with some innovative executions. Sure, they've dropped a few messier looking experiments between those 1400s and these 574s, but this trio is a return to form.

Given the model's unfussy nature, to see it go through a technical process to alter its fit and overall comfort (no seams inside reduces discomfort dramatically) is a novelty in itself. We don't know much about sonic welding other than that it's been making some of our shell jackets more protective and a great deal classier looking. The sonically welded seams here give each shoe a single-piece look, and they look a lot better on the foot as a result. Less padding and a focus on fit is an improvement, and even the 'N' logo is a deboss. The fully faux-suede upper doesn't kill the sense of quality, and the opportunity for some monotone makeups shouldn't be underestimated. But just in case all-grey, all-brown or all-black sounds a little bland, the heel counter gets recruited to make some colour go pop with added yellow, orange or teal. A complicated process makes for a simple looking shoe with a genuine sense of improvement about it. This is a keeper, and we're expecting it to hang around in the New Balance range for a little longer than its predecessor. The imminent all-oranges are crack too. And if a certain US-based retailer and undisputed collaboration king got the opportunity to rework them? That would be ill. More on that later. In the meantime, these should be arriving in the Crooked Tongues store over the next few weeks...

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