As we’ve been discussing on our recent Twitch streams, the internet has been subtly changing what it means to be ‘from somewhere’ when it comes to our various musical languages for a good twenty years at least.
But given the fact that today, someone in the midwestern US could grow up solely obsessed with, say… Scandinavian folk metal, location does still mean something, and it probably always will.
Take Reno, Nevada’s Elephant Rifle, for example – a band that actively resembles their dry, vaguely foreboding environment. In fact, take a listen to this exclusive stream of their latest single “Dry Nurse” below.
“Dry Nurse” is the second single off of Broken Water, the band’s upcoming record for Learning Curve Records. Yes, it sounds a little bit like something you would expect to hear in The Hills Have Eyes, but that’s exactly how it should be. That’s how it feels to be out there.
Much like sludgy contemporaries Chat Pile, who captured the essence of their hometown in grim, gristly detail, Elephant Gun works through the unique, semi-surreal flavors of isolation one must face in the desert. Check out the backstory of the song from vocalist Brad Bynum for added emphasis:
“When my younger son was a baby, like a lot of babies, he’d wake up in the middle of the night. And to help him fall back asleep, I’d often take him for a drive. At the time, it was fairly miserable, but, in retrospect, there was something sorta magical about it. Driving around at 4 a.m., with a half asleep baby in the backseat of the car. Something about this song recaptures that feeling for me. It’s a delirious, dreamy feeling.”
There’s also a hidden Metallica Easter egg:
“Toward the end of the last verse, when I switch to that growly voice, that’s when the sandman shows up: “By gravel streams/To bring you dreams/He says these things:/’I’ll wave my hand/Come what can/From stardust and sand.’” So this song is basically a sequel to ‘Enter Sandman.’ Hopefully it’ll be just as popular.”
We laughed, we cried, we thought about fatherhood and space… ultimately, we just really enjoyed the single. It’s off-kilter, sludgy style of no-wave embraces it’s environment in the strangest of ways, and we’re looking foreword to hearing the full story, or more stories, when the whole thing is out April 28th. Check out the pre-order here, or if you’re really trying to burn some cash, buy us an espresso here. Hell, why not both? Anyway, we’ve got all kinds of stuff coming up from Fake Pollocks, The Bob Lazar Story, After Nations, and more. Thanks for reading!