London’s most prolific noise punks, USA Nails, have released the first single from their forthcoming fifth album, ‘Character Stop’. ‘Revolution Worker’ features shouty vocals from frontman Steven Hodson and guitar lines from him and Gareth Thomas that are less immediately discordant than those on the band’s last album, ‘Life Cinema’, and far less heavy than those on their excellent debut album, ‘Sonic Moist’ (2014). However, they do get noticeably louder as the track progresses, and the song is accompanied by an attractive and colourful video. Check it out below.
According to a press release, the softer tone of ‘Revolution Worker’ is representative of the sound of ‘Character Stop’ as a whole. It says that while the album retains the “pummelling” noise punk sound for which USA Nails have become known, it also boasts “more sober, downbeat” songs that explore weighty topics like “mental health, giving up on dreams, [and] the joy (and despair) of being a part-timer”. Thomas describes it as their most “varied” album yet, whilst Hodson explains that ‘Revolution Worker’ is about the hugely relatable topics of mortality and balancing music with the demands of work and family life.
While ‘Revolution Worker’ didn’t grab me in the same way as previous USA Nails tracks like ‘Microphone’ or ‘They’d Name an Age’ have done, this is a band that haven’t delivered a bad album yet, and they don’t seem to be showing signs of starting to any time soon. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting the release of ‘Character Stop’. USA Nails also put on a great live show, although it may be a while before we get to see that happen again. ‘Character Stop’ is released on October 23rd via Bigout Records. Pre-order it here.
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