In what can be construed as fitting move to represent equality in disfunction, the ubiquitous shot of Richard Ramirez that adorned 2016’s THE NILZ MADE ME DO IT is now in symbiosis with a ubiquitous Aileen Wuornos photo for the sophomore EP by The Nilz. And while celebrated serial killers aren’t a grandiose statement of intent, or even relative to the audio artistic endeavours contained therein, in the absence of high concept or tippex scrawl, they’ll do.
Refreshingly, The Nilz is a band presented without agenda, and the generated noise doesn’t belong in a specifically labeled jar in the larder of punk… various superlatives could be employed to describe the sort of driving guitar work here, but to wax lexical about it would certainly be missing the point of what The Nilz is about. This is lean punk rock delivered with efficiency – 6 songs… 13 minutes… goodbye.
HANDS UP, WHO’S HIGH is, not necessarily a celebration, but a matter of fact declaration of nibbles from the narcotic/hallucinogenic buffet. Going by the title, I was kind of disappointed that LEAKING was more of a proposition than a streetwise thesis on answering nature’s call. Instead this theorises the complexities and inevitabilities of hate and anger as much as it can in 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
READY TO KILL presents an interesting progression… A vocal diatribe finds its own space on top of the instrumentation… loose and unique and full of personality, and in the process, many colourful opinions about our beloved catholic institutions are expressed. NEW UNDERGOUND and OMGFT (Oh! Monarchy Go Fuck Thyself) veer more towards the sloganeering thing, the later finding greater success at presenting interesting ideas on a heavily worn road. Rounding everything off, SUCH IS MY KISS is wreckage, disgrace and cautionary parable all in one.
The Nilz has a solid hardcore punk foundation prepped within 2 EPs (12 tracks in total) and how it develops will be interesting. Shades of mid career Poison Idea and old-school Turbonegro and MDC linger throughout, and like those points of reference, there’s definite personality underlying this music. Where this peaks, the hooks and energy are undoubted… but this is still evolving. If the band figures out a way to work that energy and anger into the humour and degeneracy of its live set, and avoid generic trappings, then great things lie ahead. If I come back to release number 4 and it’s more of the same, I doubt I’ll be as eager.
For now, the band’s vitality leans toward wielding healthy doses of indignation and debasement. It’s what appears to be the prevalent skill set, and in this climate of righteous moral outrage, The Nilz is a firecracker up the rear asterisk of it all.
…If this is a band with any sort of mission statement I may have missed, one would be well advised to handle it with tongs.
