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Mdou’s home is Agadez, a desert village in rural Niger. Inspired by traditional Tuareg melodies and YouTube videos of Eddie Van Halen’s six string techniques, he mastered the guitar and created his own burning style. A born charismatic, Mdou went on to tell his story as an aspiring artist by writing, producing, and starring in the first Tuareg language film: a remake of Purple Rain called Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai – which translates to “Rain The Color Of Blue With A Little Red In It” – winning the approval of his family and his community. The word and the sound travelled across West Africa via mobile phone data cards, a popular form of local music distribution. Gruelling DIY world tours and albums on the independent US label Sahel Sounds followed, including 2019’s landmark Ilana: The Creator, which earned Mdou an ecstatic international audience.
Afrique Victime is result of the combined efforts of Mdou and the members of the band that shares his name. His crucial collaborator is Ahmoudou Madassane, who’s been his rhythm guitarist since 2008. Their two guitars are an alchemical combination. As a songwriter, producer, and recording artist Ahmoudou is the premier musical ambassador to Tuaregs in Niger – empowering young musicians with instruments, recording opportunities, and visas. Masassane helped form the revolutionary first woman-fronted Tuareg guitar band Les Filles De Illighadad, whose debut album and tours caused an international sensation in 2019.
The band’s youngest member is prodigal drummer Souleymane Ibrahim, also a member of both the well-known Niger band, Sultanat Star De L’air, and the longest running wedding band in Agadez, Etran De L’air. Souleymane’s playing on this album ferociously sets a new standard for the “rock” drum set.
Producer and bassist Mikey Coltun flies 20 hours from Brooklyn, NYC, then takes a 28-hour bus ride to reach Agadez so the band can practice and record. With no support from a major label or a manager, they made this journey out of Niger every time they toured. In the past three years, Mikey’s played over 500 shows on three continents as Mdou Moctar’s bassist, road manager, producer/recording engineer, and friend. Coltun recorded and produced Afrique Victime around the band’s travels in 2019 – working in studios, apartments, hotel rooms, venue backstages, and in field recordings in Niger.
Recording and honing songs as a touring outfit forged a live wire new sound. If Ilana was a late ’60s early ’70s ZZ Top and Black Sabbath record – Afrique Victime is mid-’70s to early ’80s Van Halen meets Black Flag meets Black Uhuru. The ferocity of Moctar’s electric guitar and the band’s hypnotic rhythm section are on awe-inspiring display ‘Chismiten’ and the mournful yet incandescent title track.
Elsewhere, Moctar finds inspiration in highlighting lesser-known facets of the group: “While people have gotten to know Mdou Moctar as a rock band, there is a whole different set of music with this band done on acoustic guitars, which we wanted to incorporate into this album in order to go through a sonic journey,” he says. Mdou pays homage to one of his heroes Abdallah Ag Oumbadagou, the legendary Niger musician and political revolutionary, on songs ‘Habibti’ and ‘Layla‘. “Abdallah was a contemporary of Tinariwen and helped to pioneer the sound of Tuareg guitar music blended with drum machines and electronic sounds”.
“From prison to Nobel prize. They ceded to Mandela / Africa is a victim of so many crimes / If we stay silent it will be the end of us / Why is this happening?” Moctar asks on the title track. “I want the world to know that we are making music to promote world peace and be with everyone on the same level, fighting against racism”, he says. “All colors and genders are equal. Women, men and children all suffer in the desert due to the colonization by France and therefore there is a lack of the basics – hospitals, drinking water, schools.”
The needs of Agadez are a major part of what drives Moctar as an artist and promoting the region’s youth through music is an especially personal cause. “I know what it’s like to have been in that position,” he says, “to not have the support of your family, or the money for guitars or strings, it’s really hard. I have a lot of support from the younger generation, because I help them out a lot. When I get back from tour, I give them gear that I bought while I was away so they can go out and form their own bands.”
Says Coltun: “In Agadez the music and feeling at Tuareg weddings is exactly like the best of Western DIY/Punk shows. It’s loud, energetic and powerful. There is a sense of everyone helping out. Tuaregs are a tight community. If you’re Tuareg you’re considered family.”
The music listeners are the beneficiaries of the staggeringly powerful do-it-yourself musical ethic of Mdou Moctar – the man and the band – who’ve worked so hard to bring the spirits of families and communities in Niger to the West. Afrique Victime sounds and feels like a Tuareg hand reaching down from the sky, and we are very lucky for this chance to get lifted.
Afrique Victime is now available for pre-order on LP, CD, and also on a limited-edition cell phone that arrives pre-loaded with the record.
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Presented by the First Nations owned and operated Gaba Musik, two one-off, multi-act music and culture events BLAKTIVISM and PASIFIX will celebrate Australia’s proud First Nations and Pacific Islander communities at Live at the Bowl next month.
In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States made headlines and proliferated around the globe. It connected with activists in Australia who have long been speaking out about our own unique history of colonialism and how this affects our modern identity as a country. These Blak voices are on the rise.
Curated by Airileke and Deline Briscoe, Artistic Directors of Gaba Musik, these two events are a direct response to the global dialogue around the Black Lives Matter movement and Australia’s response to Indigenous sovereignty. By centring Blak voices, these events address the lack of Australian Pacific and First Nations cultural representation in the Australian performing arts fabric.
“The artists across these two major events are representative of the most exciting Pacific music in Australia, and some of the most outstanding voices of First Nations Australia,” say Artistic Directors of Gaba Musik, Airileke and Deline Briscoe.
On Saturday 3 April, BLAKTIVISM will bring together living legends and rising voices of First Nations political activism. Featuring Yothu Yindi, Bart Willoughby, Tasman Keith, Emma Donovan, Deline Briscoe, Allara, Kee’ahn, Sorong Samarai and Ziggy Ramo, the line-up represents voices from across generations. BLAKTIVISM begins with a Woi Wurrong led ceremony called Mundanai which means ‘embrace’; a cleansing ceremony for the year that has been and an acknowledgement of the pain of the past 200 years.
Then on Saturday 10 April, PASIFIX is an all-ages celebration of the incredible lineage of culture, music and tradition from Pacific artists across the archipelago. Featuring the renowned vocals, tight beats and big pop sounds of Ngaiire, viral hip-hop drill crew No Money Enterprise (NME) and the new boys of Aussie-Poly rap STNDRD; Pacific artists who are having an unmistakable impact on the Australian contemporary music scene.
Opening the evening will be the PASIFIX All Stars under the direction of Airileke – one of the Pacific’s leading musical identities. Fijian multi-instrumentalist Kaivili is joined by the Pasefika Vitoria Choir, the Drums of the Pacific and more special guests to be announced. Hosts for the evening will be Efeso (Fez) Faanana (Briefs Factory International) and Thomas (Kween Kong) Fonua (Haus of Kong).
PASIFIX has been made possible by supporters of the Arts Centre Melbourne Recovery Fund and is co-presented by Asia TOPA.
Stand up and join in what will be two extraordinary performances of cultural awakening at Live at the Bowl.
Gaba Musik is a First Nations owned and operated company, launching with BLAKTIVISM and PASIFIX. In Gugu Yalanji “Gaba” means rain and in Papua New Guinea “Gaba” means drum.
Tickets will go on sale from 12pm, Thursday 4 March via liveatthebowl.com.au
We’re excited to be welcoming visitors back to our venues in line with the most recent Victorian Government guidelines on COVID-19. We have opened our outdoor café Protagonist, the Sunday Markets as well as the Australian Music Vault. These openings coincided with the Live at the Bowl season, which officially kicked off on 8 January 2021.
We will continue to offer audiences the chance to experience the wonder of the performing arts via our digital hub – Together With You. For more information including: our opening plans and related health and safety policies; bookings for free and ticketed events; and other digital content and experiences, please visit artscentremelbourne.com.
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“When I wrote ‘Money’ I wanted to express how we are conditioned by money in today’s society. It’s a social norm to want nice things, have a good job, get married, have kids, buy a house etc. To a lot of people, that is their validation for success,” MELODOWNZ says. “I wrote the first half of the song back in 2014, so to revisit it, switch it up, and get it finished in LA at DJ Khalil’s studio was a true dream for me.”
Fresh off of an extensive Summer tour playing several festival main-stage slots across New Zealand, ‘Money’ is the latest offering from the rapper’s forthcoming debut studio album set for release this year, following his collaboration with Denzel Curry on ‘No Mercy’, ‘Fine’, and ‘Big Deals’ featuring Diggy Dupé. Stay tuned for more from MELODOWNZ in 2021.
‘Money’ is out now via Def Jam ANZ / SNIFFERS Records,
buy/stream it here.
Stay connected with MELODOWNZ:
Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
Adelaide, we hope you’re ready to go Full Tilt! That’s right, Australia’s most exciting new Alternative music festival is thrilled to announce it will be heading your way!
Following the incredible response to the sold-out Melbourne edition and over 87% of tickets sold for the Brisbane edition, we can’t wait to bring this epic line up to Adelaide Showground on July 17.
Uniting from across the nation is a who’s who of the Australian Metal, Punk and Rock spectrums, spearheaded by ever evolving metalcore luminaries and Aria Award winners Northlane.
Joining them is a cavalcade of the best hard hitters in the land including Hands Like Houses, In Hearts Wake, Frenzal Rhomb, Thy Art Is Murder, Luca Brasi, Slowly Slowly, Make Them Suffer and more to be announced.
Along with market stalls, there will be a huge variety of vegetarian, vegan and meat food trucks and Kickass DJ’s spinning tunes between the best live bands in the Nation.
So, get ready to grab you ticket to what promises to be the best day ever!
Register for pre-sale accessGeneral Public Tickets On Sale: Friday 5 March, 9am AEDT local time
Head to www.destroyalllines.com for more information.
ADELAIDE, ADELAIDE SHOWGROUND – 18+
THY ART IS MURDER | LUCA BRASI | SLOWLY SLOWLY | MAKE THEM SUFFER
….AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
SATURDAY 3 JULY
MELBOURNE, COBURG VELODROME SOLD OUT
LINE-UP:
NORTHLANE | HANDS LIKE HOUSES | IN HEARTS WAKE | FRENZAL RHOMB
THY ART IS MURDER | LUCA BRASI | SLOWLY SLOWLY | MAKE THEM SUFFER | PRESS CLUB
ALPHA WOLF | THORNHILL | YOURS TRULY | THE BENNIES | DROWN THIS CITY
SATURDAY 12 JUNE
BRISBANE, EATON’S HILL OUTDOORS – 18+
LINE-UP:
NORTHLANE | HANDS LIKE HOUSES | IN HEARTS WAKE | THY ART IS MURDER | LUCA BRASI
SLOWLY SLOWLY | MAKE THEM SUFFER | FRENZAL RHOMB | PRESS CLUB
ALPHA WOLF | THORNHILL | YOURS TRULY | THE BENNIES | RELIQA
Tickets for Full Tilt Festival Brisbane is on-sale now.
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SUPPORT FOR ‘WHITE NOISE’
“Charged bursts of captivating alt-rock-meets-punk-pop that sits in-line with long-time influences from Sonic Youth and Savages.”
Pilerats (AUS)
“Teeth bared, Second Idol standing up with some fire in the belly here.”
Dave Ruby Howe – triple j Unearthed (AUS)
“The punk spirit is strong in this one! sorry, didn’t mean to sound like Yoda, but yeah there’s a confidence and stick it to the man type attitude pulsing through this.”
Declan Byrne – triple j (AUS)
Following on from the release of their critically praised debut single ‘White Noise’, Sydney-based alternative-rock trio Second Idol have just returned with the striking accompanying video clip – directed by Olivia Costa.
Shot in an abandoned warehouse studio in Lilyfield, Sydney, the video clip follows two men wrestling, fighting and dancing, exploring the tracks’ central themes of conflict between femininity and masculinity. As the clip unfolds, the contrast between the bands uniform like outfits and the two main characters sets the stage for the growing tension and violence.
Lead singer Kate Olivia talks about the process behind the clip:
“We filmed this in 40-degree heat late last year, which is incredibly ironic given what we’re wearing in the clip. It used to be an old car factory, and the room we filmed in felt a bit like an abattoir and had a very sinister feel about it. In between takes we were running to stick our faces in front of fans and portable air conditioning units. Given the extreme circumstances, it was an insane effort by all involved and we had an amazing crew who looked after us and were absolute troopers.”
Second Idol consists of Kate Olivia, Theia Joyeaux and Maxine Gillon, who take inspiration from alternative-rock luminaires Savages, Placebo and Sonic Youth. After launching ‘White Noise’ to a rapt crowd at Frankies Pizza on February 27, the band will continue their run with a performance at Mardi Gras for Queer As Fvck in early March and supporting August Auzins at The Factory Theatre.
Since release, the track has seen support from Australian radio stations triple j, triple j Unearthed, FBi, RTR, 4ZZZ, 2SER, Edge Radio and The Faction. It’s also been embraced by blogs Pilerats, The Music, Temporary Dreamer, Something You Said and Milky.
Outside of the band, the trio are proud members of Sydney’s LGBTQIA community and work with organisations such as Queer As Fvck, as well as queer and mental health charity Baylin’s Gift, located in lead singer Kate Olivia’s hometown of Kempsey on the Mid North Coast of NSW. “I’ve experienced prejudice and negativity in relation to my gender, sexuality and cultural background, so I’m reflexively a supporter of minority groups and the pursuit of equality” Kate adds.
‘White Noise’ is available worldwide now
SECOND IDOL
WHITE NOISE LAUNCH SHOWS
FRI 5 MAR | THE FACTORY THEATRE, MARRICKVILLE NSW *
SAT 6 MAR | QUEER AS FVCK MARDI GRAS, SYDNEY NSW
* Supporting August Auzins
FOLLOW SECOND IDOL
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
Where are you based?
I’m from a small town of Pravdinsk (Kaliningrad region, Russia). At the moment I live in one of the districts of Kaliningrad.
What influenced the sound behind your debut EP on Soma Records, titled Rave Is Dead?
I started working on the release in the first wave of covid, when we were all at home, it was spring, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was warm enough and the windows of the house were constantly opened. A public warning system was often triggered on the street, where police told everyone through the loud speakers to stay at home and follow the rules. At that time only food stores and pharmacies worked. Everything was not clear, what’s next?! This made me angry. But at the same time I had a lot of free time and was locked in 4 walls. It all pressed psychologically, I wanted to destroy these walls. So I began to write this EP.
What inspired the title of the EP?
Rave Is Dead is a kind of “scream of despair”. We’re all locked up, the rave is out of breath and needs a new impulse. Hope it happens soon. Very soon …
What is your creative process like and how much did lockdown influence this?
At that time, nothing distracted me. I devoted most of my time to music, so I could distract myself from everything that was happening around. Only occasionally I watched TV series or my brother and I went into the woods to the old broken bridge so that the police would not catch us and issue a fine, then it was impossible to leave the house, and there we listened to new demos through small speakers. Then we discussed them. Sounds weird, but it was also a weird time.
How did you approach the recording and production process for the Rave Is Dead EP?
When I sit down to work, I immerse myself in it. Sometimes I don’t even hear when my family members call me from the next room. I have a laptop, sound card, microphone and headphones at my disposal. I record a lot of live sounds; how the car brakes outside the window or for example, the metallic sound of a pan, a lot of things. Then you process it all and choose the best moments. I experiment a lot.
Have you always been a fan of Soma Records?
Yes, I’ve been following the label for a long time. And to be honest, I couldn’t even imagine that my tracks someday will be released on this label. I am very happy.
When did you first start playing music and how did this evolve into electronic music?
It was about 2006, I don’t remember exactly. I was in high school and began to make the first steps in creativity. I was listening to drum’n’bass and started to write it. Over time tastes and quality changed and in the end I came to the music that I make now.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
This is my brother. It was he who “hooked” me on music: The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, etc. I fell in love with this music.
Once the world can dance again, where are you most excited to play?
Let me dream a little. I haven’t traveled outside the country for a long time. Now it has become much more difficult, but I really hope that this is all temporary. I would like to visit and perform in cities such as London, Berlin, Amsterdam and many others.
What does the rest of 2021 hold for Namesis?
New releases, new collaborations, preparing a live performance and that’s not all. Soon you will definitely hear and see everything yourself!
Connect with Namesis:
Connect with Soma Records:
Sarah Jane is a prolific Alt-Rock, Indie singer, songwriter from Sydney, Australia who has amassed a huge online following. ‘Lately’ is the first single from her new EP and is out now.
With over 290,000 subscribers and 30 million views on YouTube it would be accurate to call the young musician a viral sensation.
The new EP follows two solo albums “Absence’, an acoustic album released in 2019, and the album ‘Tainted Timeline” released late in 2020. Sarah Jane has released two full-length records with her band ‘The Violet Stones’ over the same period.
Sarah Jane has over 80,000 streams on her single ‘Backwards’, over 10,000 streams on both ‘Sleepwalking’ and ‘Control’ on Spotify and has been played on Home & Hosed on Triple J.
Sarah Jane – ‘‘Lately’ is about the anxiety felt when you feel like you’re not needed anymore in a relationship. Even when you know it’s in your head, it’s hard to bring yourself out of it. Tying in with the video, it shows the emptiness and the dark emotions that come with anxiety.”
Sarah played and recorded all the instruments on Lately. The track was mixed/mastered by George Pauley.
Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in the Inner West of Sydney! I just moved to this area in January
How did you first start playing music?
I’ve always had an interest in music but it wasn’t until my dad pushed me to learn piano and over the years I slowly moved over to singing, guitar & drums.
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
This past year has really given me some time to just buckle down and record as much as I can. Sometimes it’s hard to balance playing shows & recording so I’m not sure if I would have released an album and be able to work on another EP if Covid didn’t happen. I did miss out on playing some really cool shows mid 2020 which is such a shame as I love playing live but there was a silver lining.
Your new single ‘Lately’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
I wrote the song in March of 2020 and I had been listening to a lot of PJ Harvey and Hum at the time & what I love a lot about those bands are the dynamics and production. I guess I have been trying to match the vibe of PJ Harvey’s ‘Rid of Me’ & Hum’s ‘You’d prefer an Astronaut’.
Where and when did you record/produce/master?
I recorded everything myself in my (my dad’s) small home studio around September 2020. My dad’s a drummer so he has all the equipment which I’m super lucky to have access to as well as a bunch of recording gear. I also played all the instruments myself as it’s so much easier to come up with parts as I know what my vision is & there’s no messy communication.
I also got really into different recording techniques & I originally wanted to mix it myself but I decided I shouldn’t put too much pressure on myself. George Pauley ended up mixing and mastering it!
Please tell us about how the concept for the video came about:
The song is mainly about unreasonable anxiety and feeling as though you’re not needed anymore in a relationship. The way I see it connect to the video is that is a representation and visualisation of anxiety. Being in one room, just indulging in the feeling and then walking out like nothing ever happened can just visualise some anxieties. You know it’s unreasonable but you’re still anxious! We just wanted to portray a certain set of emotions that were connected to the songs meaning.
Where and when did you film and who did you work with?
The whole of the video (direction, concept, editing, filming etc.) was done by Jack Barratt. I wanted to have one less thing to worry about when it came to the release of the song so he basically come up with everything haha We filmed it in around 4 hours at a budget hotel in the Inner West. It was a tiny room and even smaller bathroom, but we made it work!
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation on the video?
100% the shower scene. It was so uncomfortable getting wet in clothes and it was even worse in the last scene where I had to walk out whilst I was still wet. It was so cold! But the shower shot is definitely my favourite so it was worth it!
How did you prepare for live shows?
I’m definitely a stress head when it comes to playing shows. I’m always scared of running late or forgetting how to play the songs so I definitely prepare by getting there early and just having some time to chill beforehand & making sure my voice is warmed up & drinking plenty of water.
You have an EP on the way, what can you tell us?
I’ve been nonstop working on new music! This EP will be a little bit different from my last album. It’s less full-on grunge, more light, a little post-rock, think Mogwai meets Failure…
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’m listening to a lot of Failure, OH and Hayley Williams just released a new album and it’s been on repeat ever since. Some Queens of the Stone Age, A LOT of Radiohead (as usual) & Porcupine Tree.
What do you like to do away from music?
This is sort of lame but I love planning things & cleaning (super lame I know but it’s therapeutic!). I also just like to chill and watch TV shows, play games with friends or go thrift shopping.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I love going to Newtown, so many yummy vegan restaurants to choose from. Gotta love Gigi’s Pizza!
Lately Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl0-5IrBVTY
Linktree
Equal parts a team player and a born front-woman, as comfortable running a show as she is lending her talents to fellow musicians as a multi-instrumentalist. An accomplished and highly sought after drummer and equally as talented vocalist and guitarist, Dani has spent the last ten years performing with some of Canada’s top artists, touring with JULY TALK, Andy Shauf, and Brendan Canning among scores of others. As a proud member of the queer community, Dani is also a pillar of the Toronto queer music scene, and counts playing at Toronto Pride as one of her favourite performances. She has worked tirelessly to develop her skill as an artist – and it’s time for a larger audience to meet her music.
https://www.instagram.com/daninashmusic/?hl=en
Hailing from the Junction, and citing influences like Wilco, Kurt Vile, and Cage the Elephant – the band is a fully collaborative endeavour of Toronto music stalwarts Damian Coleman (vocals, bass), Edmund Cummings (vocals, keys), Craig Keeney (lead guitar), Phil Skot (drums) and Dave Suchon (vocals, guitar). Dripping guitar tones, billowing keyboard melodies, and defiant bass / drums all contribute to the textured sound of The Sarandons. Songs are bittersweet, rich with nostalgia and tell stories that are familiar but just out of reach. “This past year has been the ultimate test of whether familiarity breeds contempt. When you’re marooned at sea together, all sorts of things start to creep in. More insidious than contempt, the people we’re locked in with start to become another piece of furniture in our lives. Days are on repeat and it’s the struggle against these enemies that we tried to capture in this song.” – Dave Suchon (The Sarandons)
Please note there will be no further comment at this time.
“NOFX Los Angeles punk veterans’ latest record tackles everything from drug addiction to mortality.” – COS
“If you think you’ve heard it all before from the veteran punks, this record begs to differ.” – Kerrang!
“NOFX’s Fat Mike on His Sobriety, Sexuality: ‘I Think I Came Out of the Closet Even More’”– SPIN
“Single Album a reflection of Fat Mike’s time with drugs and as such majority of the songs are quite intense” 8/10 Wall Of Sound
“Fat Mike’s evident enthusiasm for this collection–and newfound sobriety doesn’t mean sacrificing any of the band’s existing and beloved characteristics” Hysteria
“Fat Mike returns bearing the gift of his wisdom, sharing pocket sized tips that we can carry around throughout the day on our own pursuit of happiness” Blunt Mag
Fat Wreck Chords and longstanding California punk band NOFX are thrilled to present Single Album, the band’s 14th full-length studio album, out now. As frontman Fat Mike explains, “Single Album was initially supposed to be twice as long, as I wanted to make a perfect double album, and I didn’t accomplish that, so I decided to just make a single album, hence the title.”
Single Album is available to stream on all platforms, with the physical product on hand via FAT’s Web Store.
Check out the music video for “Fuck Euphemism”
View the music video for “Linewleum”
Nearly 40 years in, what else is there to say about NOFX?
And aside from the occasional negative headline, how can one of the pioneers of SoCal punk—a style hardly known for experimentation—surprise anyone these days?
The answers lie on Single Album (Fat Wreck Chords, Feb. 26), NOFX’s 14th full-length studio album. There’s the nearly six-minute post-hardcore opener (“The Big Drag”). The meta sendoff for the band’s best-known song (“Linewleum”). The reggae-inflected song about a mass shooting (“Fish in a Gun Barrel”). Even a piano ballad (“Your Last Resort”).
It is, as frontman and bassist Fat Mike repeatedly describes, “a dark album.” That wasn’t the original intent. By early 2020, NOFX—which includes guitarist El Hefe, guitarist Eric Melvin, and drummer Smelly—had written and recorded enough songs for a planned double album to be released that fall. Like so much about 2020, those plans changed.
“When you write a double album, you write differently,” Mike says. “I was writing really different songs, and some fun songs, but you have to make a double album interesting enough to listen to the whole way. I wanted to make a perfect double album, and I didn’t accomplish that. So I decided to just make a single album, hence the title.”
Recorded at Motor Studios in San Francisco with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Teenage Bottlerocket), Single Album pares down the roughly 23 songs NOFX tracked. “I just kept adding songs,” Mike says. “I was maybe a little out of my mind.”
How so? “I was pretty high on drugs that year,” he adds. While fans may wonder what else is new, Single Album casts the frontman’s habits in a surprisingly harsh light. While “Grieve Soto” eulogises beloved Adolescents founder Steve Soto, it takes a meta turn when Eric Melvin warns Mike to be “cautious, more respectful, less obnoxious.”“Birmingham” has what people in recovery call “a moment of clarity,” when he realised he was an addict.
“That was a clarity moment in my life when I was by myself, and the sun’s coming up, and I’m scraping cocaine off the floor, like, ‘Eww, gross. I shouldn’t be doing this,’” Mike says. “So what did I do? I ordered more.” After being hospitalised with a bleeding ulcer—a terrifying experience that caused him to vomit blood—Mike entered rehab in fall 2020. He promptly wrote another new album while there and has been sober since.
Unsurprisingly, Single Album represents his most personal work to date. Heartbreak permeates “I Love You More Than I Hate Me” and “Your Last Resort.” “Fuck Euphemism” dives into Mike’s sexuality for a “pronoun bar fight.” “Doors and Fours” is a grim look into the early ’80s LA punk scene, when dozens of people—many of them Mike’s friends—overdosed on a prescription drug combo. “The Big Drag” is a personal vow to make the most of life, even when it undeniably sucks. “It’s one of my favourite NOFX songs ever. I don’t get sick of listening to that song,” Mike says of “The Big Drag.” “No measure is the same length. Every time a new chord change happens, there’s a different rhythm to the guitar. The bass never stays on one note. You’re not sure when the chords are going to change because they always change at a different point.”
In other words, it’s unpredictable—just like NOFX. Turns out there is a lot to say about them, even after all this time.
Single Album track-listing
1. The Big Drag
2. I Love You More Than I Hate Me
3. Fuck Euphemism
4. Fish in a Gun Barrel
5. Birmingham
6. Linewleum
7. My Bro Cancervive Cancer
8. Grieve Soto
9. Doors and Fours
10. Your Last Resort
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