Nest Egg are a three-piece from Asheville, North Carolina and are comprised of Harvey Leisure (guitar/vocals), Ross Gentry (bass/keys) and Thom Nguyen (drums). Formed back in 2011, the band have built up a formidable reputation in the US live circuit, describing their sound as ‘mood music for nihilists’. Following a handful of tapes and singles, in 2015 the band released their debut album Respectable which cemented their minimalistic kraut-punk jams as one of the most exciting new exports in the States.
Three years have passed and now they have taken to international waters to release Nothingness Is Not A Curse on Fuzz Club Records on 13th April. Talking of the album, the band explain: “We tracked Nothingness Is Not A Curse mostly back in 2016 and finished it up last year, we’re really excited to have it coming out on Fuzz Club. The songs were mostly written a couple of years ago and the content is just a conglomeration of everything from that time. It ranges from songs about spending a lot of time in the outdoors to songs about air travel or getting rid of scummy people in your life.”
The six track offering opens with ‘DMTIV’, a pacey number with a motorik beat that propels the track along, it wastes now time in asserting its krautrock influences and intentions. The lengthy track feels like it is in a loop, due to the clever use of repetition, with only the varying vocals emphasising the vocals. The entire track enthrals from start to finish and for fans of Can, Neu! or Föllakzoid, it’s a must listen. ‘Print-Process-Repeat’ has an eerily Interpol vibe in its main riff, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but becomes more into its own devises as it progresses with a haunting organ melody and hypnotising guitar interplay. ‘Denied Doctrine’ returns to the classic krautrock sound with a pace that leaves the listener breathless and riveted at the same time, the layered musical complexity would have you believe that there are more than three musicians at play, making it all the more impressive.
‘Long Night Outside’ continues this theme, but adds fuzz laden guitar riffs and a breakdown that draws the compelling bass line into sharp focus. The delay on the vocals just adds a degree of magic. ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ is the state of having inconsistent thoughts and this track distils the concept into musical form. The chaotic track has elements competing for attention, whilst underpinned by a regular bass line that you cannot help pay attention to, resulting in an intriguing aural experience that doesn’t let up. Concluding title track ‘Nothingness Is Not A Curse’ pulls aspects from all other tracks, reworks them and makes them afresh, if that is even possible. The ten minute track is a great way to end the album as it neatly compresses the essence of the LP into one offering.
As LPs go, this is undoubtedly one of the best of a very good bunch that Fuzz Club are championing and with krautrock having made such a dramatic re-emergence recently, and with bands like Nest Egg flying the flag, its popularity is only likely to increase.
