Nice Biscuit
Captain
Break Even Recordings
Brisbane psych rock purveyors Nice Biscuit hit us with a driving, acid-laced gut punch on their single Captain, the debut for new Inertia imprint Break Even Recordings.
The band’s two 2017 singles showed some promise – Boogie Board Muck Around was a playful tumble in the hay whereas In Space Today was a free-flowing cosmic jam that I’d have gladly let run 40 minutes rather than its allotted four. On Captain the band eschews both approaches, instead upping the tempo and laying down a relentless motorik beat over which they let their freak flag fly.
The opening minute is particularly gripping as we’re hit with snarling single-note guitar lines followed by layers of guitar fuzz. Just as they envelop and threaten to take over, Nice Biscuit masterfully reign it in and the rhythm section hits a propulsive lockstep. Ethereal vocals echo out, interrupted by fuzz chord blasts.
Nice Biscuit’s control of guitar tones and dynamics belies their age as a band – this isn’t complex stuff, but it keeps you hooked.
MATIJA ZIVKOVIC
