9 O’clock Nasty – Dry (2021)
Through the tracks of their EP Dry, 9 O’clock Nasty blends energy, kindness, naivety and insults into memorable music. With songs that touch on relationships, personal experiences and preaching, they highlight a nasty edge that makes their music so engaging. Touching your ears with a drop of acidic lyricism, the band has you rocking to their tone while really considering what they are saying.
This Leicester-based art-indie collective use their musicality in a rather unique way that engages listeners. Seemingly without any effort, the band has you lost in their musical tales and going a little crazy to their melodies. Listening to the EP will make you eager to dive into their back catalogue and any newer tracks.
The EP opens with ‘Preach me Down (Prelude)’ which really sets the tone for what is to come. You can feel the energy of the band from the first echoing moment. A rather short track, the beats have your head bopping before the electronic edge of the vocals warbles into your ears. There is a feeling to the vocals like they are calling out through static as they repeat the lyrics. Through the limited lyricism, the band is actually able to get a lot across. They hit out at those who preach at others and grind them down while acknowledging the pressure this creates. It is not only through the lyrics that they achieve this as the melody carries a weight of judgement.
‘Unspool My Heart’ has a very different feeling to the opening track with the almost preppy opening. The chanting vocals and thrumming guitar have you bopping to the track. There is a wonderful contrast in the vocals with the retro easy melodic flow and a calling line overlapping. This brings a dichotomy to the track that is reminiscent of the world and how many people see others. The guitar line that comes in later has a warm feeling to it that, without fail, will put a smile on your face.
‘Sick Child’ opens with a sound bite that gets a wash of easy rock guitars. There is a slightly retro vibe to the guitars as they call out into the soundscape. The vocals continue this retro vibe as you slowly spiral into their thrall. The single really throws your mind back in time to the rock tones of the 60s. The energy in the vocals will make you want to sing along, particularly on the chorus. You may also feel the urge to turn the volume up to blare the track as you shout out.
The EP comes to an end with ‘What Time Is Nasty?’ that slowly builds through the opening. The guitars take on an almost psychedelic edge as they haunt the higher levels of the melody. The beat rolls you forward into the chanting vocals while an ambient hum hovers over everything. The vibes of this track are really interesting as the band poses a question and while the answer is somewhat expected there is something much deeper. Through the arrangement and movement of the song, something deep inside is shaken while an undeniable truth of how we want questions answered comes through.
Through the intense and extremely memorable tones of Dry, 9 O’clock Nasty pull you under their questioning yet ridiculously enthralling spell. Each track has its own dark edge that has you questioning an aspect of the world we live in and the human condition. The vocals have a chanting quality that makes you want to chant with and back while closing your eyes and giving into the musical vibes.
Find out more about 9 O’clock Nasty on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
