‘I’m Nice Now’ sees Upchuck embrace a raw, heavy sound
Tackling issues of racism, sexism and classism, the Ty Segall-produced album sees the band let out their rage at the current political climate through pure punk music.
Photo: Cissi Efraimsson
Upchuck’s previous single Tired opens I’m Nice Now with the band’s signature sound — lead singer KT’s prominent vocals, and a gritty track behind them. KT expresses her exhaustion: “I’m tired of darker news” and, with a great guitar riff at the heart of the song, it’s easy to slip into that Stooges-inspired sound that’s found laced throughout the entire thirteen-track album.
Plastic harnesses a deeper sound, with fellow bandmates shouting “so whatchu wanna know?” over the grungy chorus. This track is one of three that includes Upchuck’s drummer, Chris Salado, on vocals. Beginning on the bridge, Salado’s vocals provide a real change in Plastic, but one which proves to be very refreshing. The lyrics are in his native language, Spanish, and it helps to put a unique spin on the ‘Upchuck sound’ that we all love, while showing the influence of his culture on the band’s music, adding something special to this track.
Both Tired and Plastic were released before the album itself dropped, and the third track, New Case, is the latest single to be pulled from the album, having dropped yesterday. Here, Upchuck seem to lean into a slightly more mellow tone, similar to one of their most popular tracks from one of their earlier albums: Facecard. I normally prefer the more raucous and upbeat songs of theirs, but this track blends perfectly with the rest of the album, while also keeping the sound varied. At the heart of New Case is a catchy bassline from Ausar Ward, keeping that punk sound, while also embracing the slightly slower tune.
It’s only fitting that, after a more mellow song, they follow it up with Fried, perhaps one of the most intense moments from the entire album. Distorted synth-like sounds are laced through the track, and this works so well with the rest of the backing.
Homenaje follows, with Salado leading on vocals this time; his raspy and deeper voice works great with this punk fusion. Even though the lyrics may be in a different language, you can still very much feel and hear the rage in his voice, and this seems to be a key theme in I’m Nice Now, and it definitely works. Kept Inside and Pressure slow the tone down again, but this means that listeners are even more drawn to the lyrics: “I can’t waste my life living old blues” and “I’m slapping faces and pushing shoulders”.
Un Momento follows, released before the album, along with Forgotten Token. I had the pleasure of seeing Upchuck at Green Man Festival over the summer, and Un Momento was definitely the track that stuck out to me most in that set, so it was great to listen to the studio version and hear that there was just as much passion in the vocals, and that it was as loud as I remembered it. In the latter, it’s Mikey Durham and Hoff’s guitar playing that really stands out. The riff at the core of this song really makes it, with an almost garage sound, and that’s what keeps bringing me back to this song in particular.
With a run time of only one minute and 40 seconds, Kin definitely manages to pack in the full punk experience, and I can imagine this going crazy with the moshers at a live show for sure.
Lost One begins slowly, before fully exploding into a frenzy of instruments and vocals (and shouting) from both KT and Salado. The “Fuck You’s” scattered throughout actually really help bring it together, and once again showcase that rage is at the heart of this album. The penultimate track, Slow Down, is definitely my favourite. The guitar riff again is so catchy, and KT really leans into the singing aspect of the vocals, and it works so well. This, partnered with the bass, is perfect, and the lyrics, “I need a break from life”, once again solidifies the exhaustion from the band — my only complaint being that it wasn’t longer.
Nowhere rounds off the album, drawing it to a perfect close, the bridge in this is incredible — the instruments and vocals slowing down, eventually fading out to nothing.
The album is the perfect blend of intense punk and slightly slower tracks to balance it out, and I know for sure this will become a staple in my headphones.
I’m Nice Now is out now via Domino Records.