A band of two pairs of brothers hailing from both Sweden and Chicago, Nervous Nellie are curious blend of cultures and genres, where separate forces collide and manage to work incredibly well. Sporting whispers of Abba, Peace and MGMT, Nervous Nellie‘s new album When The Nightmares Get In is a storm of upbeat indie rock one moment and ambient and atmospheric soft rock the next. At ten tracks long, When The Nightmares Get In is a concise package, but in no way lacking content for it. Another great example of good indie rock that strays away from the herd of Libertines wannabes, this album is a more than adequate accompaniment to the cold months ahead and indeed summers to come.
When The Nightmares Get In opens with the song ‘Beacons’, a tune so steeped in the 1980’s it could sport it’s practically wearing shoulder pads and leg-warmers. Driven by drums drenched in reverb, ‘Beacons’ glides along its 4 minute run time on synth pads so warm they could practically cook toast. While I find this opener one of the strongest points of the album, that doesn’t mean the quality of the next 9 songs is sub-par – in fact ‘Beacons’ fulfills its role perfectly as a song to welcome the audience to the kind listening experience they’ve let themselves in for.
While the vocal content across the album won’t be anything particularly new to the ears of any seasoned Indie listener, Nervous Nellie are definitely a cut above the swathes of bands sporting over-exaggerated London or ‘Califauxnian’ accents in an attempt to appeal to a youth who must be tired of that shit by now. There is a welcome vocal surprise to be found in the track ‘You’re So Sad’ however, with a guest female appearance gracing the album and imparting a soft, sorrowful duet that fulfills the role of mid-album comedown to a tee.
It’s hard not to praise the compositional skills showcased on When The Nightmares Get In, as the album stands testament to many things bands can do right. Changing styles almost on a song-by-song basis, a solid and tight rhythm section switches between driving songs forward at running speed to providing a backdrop to melodic guitar licks and richly textured chords. The album feels more like a debut than the band’s fourth record – indicating a new beginning and a new audience of fans, from Indie connoisseurs to youths in need of a soundtrack for the next few years.
Useful Links: Facebook // Official Site
7bitarcade - Archive 