Invercargill gets a bad rap - it’s cold, it’s far away, the people have stronger accents – but SIT is a becoming a major drawcard for savvy musicians and audio engineers who don’t want to end up in major debt whilst studying.
The school is turning out some seriously decent bands with a pretty distinct sound.
In the spirit of not ‘beating around the bush’, Nation are one of these bands - a four-piece rock/electronica outfit, formed in the mighty Inver-vegas and currently situated in Wellington.
Fumes the opening song on their current self-titled EP is a catchy, pop-ish, semi-ode to Mary Jane that clocks in at exactly 4mins and 20 secs. A brilliant opening piece – slick bass layered over some great wee synth licks and a beat that has been compressed to within an inch of its life.
The next track Trouble brings the tempo down a notch, jazzy and subdued. The vocals are smoother and the guitar solo is hella wicked.
The Wild West follows on, the opening of which screams ‘musical theatre’. There is a real dramatic flair to the piece that the lyrics help to emphasize – and the honkey tonk piano breakdown really drives home.
The closing track The Root of All Evil has a similar theatrical vein to The Wild West but runs slightly more restrained and rockier.
Overall a pretty great listen.
Nation are a four-piece groove-pop band that infuse elements from rock, soul and electronica, creating a truly unique sonic landscape.
Their sounds are full to the brim with energy and colour, perfectly balancing creative musicality and easy listening.
Their live shows are explosive and contain dazzling guitar solos, huge synths, a groove smothered rhythm section and soaring vocals.