Nice Nice’s debut album on WARP Records has been a long awaited one. After churning out damn near one record a year on their old label, Temporary Residence Limited, Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi have made us wait four years to hear some new discombobulating yet soothing, formless yet melodic tunes.
The duo has a knack for finding order in disorder, and this new album, aptly titled Extra Wow, is no exception. Though as a whole the record flows seamlessly, its fluidity is often threatened with disjointed electronics, guitar riffs, or drum beats. But Buehler and Shirazi handle chaos with such ease that it sounds natural.
The record begins with an apparent ‘60s acid-rock influence. Opening track "Set & Settting" is saturated with psychedelic buzz, static, and electronic bleeps, accompanied by Buehler’s muffled vocals, pedal-addled guitar and cymbal-heavy drums. The track meshes into “One Hit,” which may very well be homage to the great Jimi Hendrix, with Buehler asking his listeners, “Are you experienced?” The track follows its predecessor’s structure for about 40 seconds, and then takes a spastic turn, as if Buehler and Shirazi lost complete control of their hands. But amidst the drastic, chaotic change, Buehler manages to keep the melody with his vocals, and even when the two break into a disorganized instrumental bridge, they manage to effortlessly come back to the original structure of the song.
After “One Hit,” the album takes a calming break with two lucid instrumental tracks, but picks up again with “Everything Falling Apart,” another song with an acid-rock vibe, and “Big Bounce,” an aptly titled bouncy, space-y electronic track, which transitions into the album’s first single, “See Waves.” This track is still heavily experimental, but much more structured and accessible than the rest of the album. Electronic blips lead a quick-handed guitar riff and structured vocals, with tribal drumming exuding a primal nuance.
The second half of the album is much more ambient and mellow than the first, consisting of tracks with little to no vocals, giving your brain a chance to slow down and process everything it has heard, and leaving you with no words to describe the record other than “wow.”
-Katrina Nattress