UK-based punk band Nervus have been putting out one great album after another. Their music constantly pushes the envelope of what punk is, incorporating keyboards and elements of indie rock into their punk rock sound. Their new album, The Evil One, was recently released on Get Better Records and sees the band’s sound evolving while their radical politics are still placed front and center.
“I think we just really liked the idea of calling a record The Evil One,” front woman Em Foster explains. “Roky Erickson has an album called The Evil One, and that’s maybe one of my favourite records. I think thematically it also addresses a lot of things that have been historically been designated as ‘evil’ by Christian white nationalists – for example, interdependence on one another, promotion of collectivism over individualism, connectivity with the natural world, rejection of binary gender. So yeah, it’s evil! “
The previous two albums featured a logo of a heart and anchor, but The Evil One lacks that logo because of the new direction of the record.
“So that looks like an anchor and heart but is actually the combination of the Mars and Venus gender symbols in a heart! I think that we just wanted to change it up, the album is so different to those two records and so the cover needed to reflect that. Renata did such an incredible job with the artwork. “
One of the tracks, “I Wish I Was Dead (Bill Hicks)” references the late American comedian who was known for his political comedy.
“So, Bill Hicks is not someone who means a great deal to me at all. The song is actually based on a joke by UK comedian Stewart Lee, where he laments the fact that it’s much easier to be a dead comedian. ‘I wish I was dead Bill Hicks.’ So yeah, I stole that too, and turned it into a folk song about how the pursuit of individualistic goals over collective prosperity is ultimately self destructive.”
While Nervus has always challenged the preconceived notions of what qualifies as “punk,” their new album moves in a different direction that many might not recognize as punk.
“I feel like we sound less ‘punk’ now. I think, from my perspective, with Everything Dies and Tough Crowd we were taking a ‘more is more’ approach to production, which really works on those records, but the songs on The Evil One feel like they benefit from a more pared back approach. It’s a conscious choice but one that just felt right!”
After two albums with Big Scary Monsters, the band moved over to Get Better Records for The Evil One.
“It was really quite natural and happened over the beginning of the pandemic I guess. They released a cassette of Tough Crowd and the we did the Sunday, Someday split with them and it’s been home ever since! It’s awesome to be working with a queer and trans owned label and be on a roster with so many incredible artists. I feel incredibly grateful for their support.
Em Foster also talked about how being queer and trans influences the writing in her music, particularly on the new album.
“I think it informs the new record in the sense that the struggles against white supremacy, cisheteronormative patriarchy, fascism, capitalism, are all undeniably entangled. They are one and the same. The record is an attempt to highlight the connectivity of those struggles.”
The Evil One is out now on Get Better Records. Make sure to follow the band on Facebook for more updates.
