Nothing Amazing Happens Here

Highly Conceptual Performance Art (via music) EP

Written by: PP on 22/10/2011 02:04:52

If anything, New York-based garage/indie rock duo Nothing Amazing Happens Here have a name that invokes immediate curiosity about the band, and their four-track debut EP's title is an eye-catcher as well, albeit a somewhat pretentious one: "Highly Conceptual Performance Art (via Music). Armed with just guitars and drums, the two-piece aims to write raw music which screams DIY in every possible way from the lo-fi production to the screeching guitar distortion and the laid-back "we don't give a fuck how it sounds like" kind of attitude to songwriting.

Now, "Highly Conceptual Performance Art (via Music)" could be a great debut EP, if it wasn't for its terrible production. A number of strong melodies lurk just beneath the scratchy and distortion-laden surface, but unfortunately the final recording sounds like the microphones were placed on the opposite end of the room from the band, causing an echoing and faded sound where it's difficult to make out the melodies, the instruments, or the vocals from the quiet mix. It's a shame, because there's a quirky tropical, beachy feel to their music - especially on "Paleo" - which has them sounding like some sort of garage rockified version of a surf rock band blending Fugazi together with Braid. While it certainly adds a degree of rawness to their music, there's a fine line between sounding DIY and just sounding awful. NAHH do the latter, but rest assured, the problem isn't as much in the songs as it is in their chosen production style. If you give these guys a good bassist and put them into a proper recording studio, good things will come out of it, that I am certain of.

5

Download: Paleo, Burroughs
For the fans of: Fugazi meets Braid, garage version of Everyone Everywhere
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 22.05.2011
Self-Released

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