ALBUM REVIEW: 'Bad Nerves' by Bad Nerves
Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t dead - it’s thriving through the likes of Bad Nerves.
East London-based five-piece Bad Nerves released their electrifying self-titled debut album this week, via Killing Moon Records. The band consists of Bobby Nerves (vocals), William Phillipson (guitar), George Berry (guitar), Jonathan Poulton (bass), and Samuel Thompson (drums). If you want your songs short and your punk rock energy high, Bad Nerves have got you covered.
Short, sharp, and brimming with punk attitude, Bad Nerves’ debut album is a non-stop whirlwind of exhilarating power pop from start to finish. Coming in at twelve tracks and just under thirty minutes long, the album is a glorious ride of fast and hard garage rock with a pop polish.
The quintet have come a long way since releasing their striking debut single ‘Dreaming’ back in 2017 - accumulating over 55,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and playing huge festivals across Europe, including bagging themselves a spot on 2019’s Reading + Leeds line-up. They’ve spent the last three years banging out captivating singles - from the catchy-as-hell ‘Radio Punk’ to the rock ‘n’ roll anthem that is ‘Can’t Be Mine’ - cultivating a confidently grand discography as all of these tracks have found their home on the debut record.
The songs are punchy and consistently energetic - a rollercoaster ride of infectious hooks and punk rock energy. Trashy, distorted vocal melodies, catchy choruses, and hefty garage rock riffs - Bad Nerves found what works for them, then fucking went for it.
Lyrically, the snappy choruses might not seem particularly poetic, but what Bad Nerves lack in flowery metaphors, they make up for in the witty, sharp, straight-to-the-point lyrics you can shout at the top of your lungs. 'Palace' takes a dig at the Queen, 'Electric 88' is the soundtrack of a nostalgic coming-of-age film, and 'Bored of Babies' is about, well, exactly what the title suggests. With no track exceeding the three-minute mark, these dynamic songs will quickly have you fantasising about being in the middle of a sweaty, frenetic mosh pit at a Bad Nerves gig - and what more could you dream for right now?
At just twenty-seven minutes long, Bad Nerves unswervingly delivers on what the band have set out to do: create an in-your-face, fierce power pop record that refuses to slow down or behave. For a debut album, Bad Nerves proves that the punk rock quintet are bold, courageous, and most importantly, that they embody the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. And it’s impressive as hell.
Stream Bad Nerves on Spotify and Apple Music now.
Review by Chloe Robbins
Photography by Theo McInnes
