Bad Nerves’ Self-Titled Album
Thanks to a recent tour announcement by Justin Hawkins (lead singer of The Darkness), I discovered a band called Bad Nerves that’s quickly become my new favorite thing.
They’re a London-based power-pop group with some obvious classic punk and garage rock influences, like if you took the adrenaline-fueled ferocity of The Ramones and swagger of The Buzzcocks, then mixed it with the melodic sensibilities of The Strokes and My Chemical Romance.
Their 2018 self-titled debut album is a nonstop, fast-paced rhythmic onslaught all the way through, and even with 12 songs, it only takes 27 minutes to listen to the whole thing. It’s all-killer-no-filler, and if you’re like me, you’ll have it on repeat a lot.
Their music video for “Can’t Be Mine” was the first thing I heard, and I immediately knew I needed to hear more:
What’s crazy to me is how great it sounds live, especially on vocalist Bobby Nerves’ part:
From there I watched a full recorded show they did, and not only was I all the more impressed with how consistent Bobby’s vocals are, that was also when I truly realized how insane drummer Samuel Thompson is:
NSFW for language
Can’t believe how long he’s able to maintain that drumming speed, what a machine!
Anyway, you’ve gotta listen to this album. It’s crazy that these guys haven’t gotten more attention, and I feel like I should’ve heard about them much sooner, so I’m doing my part to spread the word.
Here’s the full track list, with 🌟s to denote my personal favorites:
| # | Track name | 🌟 = standout track |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Can’t Be Mine” | 🌟 |
| 2. | “Mad Mind” | 🌟 |
| 3. | “Baby Drummer” | 🌟 |
| 4. | “Palace” 🅴 | 🌟 |
| 5. | “Radio Punk” | 🌟 |
| 6. | “Bored of Babies” | |
| 7. | “Electric 88” | 🌟 |
| 8. | “Wasted Days” | |
| 9. | “New Shapes” | |
| 10. | “Last Beat” | |
| 11. | “Terminal Boy” | 🌟 |
| 12. | “Dreaming” |
Get the album in these places:
- Apple Music
- Amazon ($9)
- CD ($20)
- Spotify
- Tidal