Nice Face – Immer Etwas (2010) [Sacred Bones] // Grade: A

Immer Etwas is addiction-grade good. Like, 400 times in three days, and you’ve memorized every word; know, like clockwork, each slash and shudder of guitar, all the space-out breakdowns. This stuff takes years with some albums, but the visceral pleasure of Immer Etwas makes it totally immediate. And, of course, frustratingly beyond words—maybe it’s a cop out, but this thing really feels like the musical equivalent to “you just had to be there”.

So here’s what I can tell you. Once the sole province of Ian Magee and his bedroom, Nice Face is now a real-deal five-piece live band with members of Imaginary Icons and Livefastdie. It’s loud, crazy loud, full speed ahead and out of control: garage- and post-punk with a synthetic bent that feels more 50s B-movie than Factory Records. Across its 13 tracks—the cliche would be “blistering”, right, but let’s not take it there—are a mish-mash of boozy bathtub-gin jams (“Blood In The Well”), proto electro-punk (“Gaping Gash”) and trashy, mangled surf (“Invective”). No song is a throwaway. And it ends way too soon.

But “Situation Is Facing Utter Annihilation” isn’t something to be chatted about. Neither is the rotating riff of “Selectron” or that dark, blown-up bass on “A Minor Altercation”. Mining Immer Etwas‘ simplicity—and its perfectly familiar punk moments—would make it feel standard, too hum-drum, neither of which it is. Give it a spin, or four, or 400; like I said, you just have to be there.

- Rue Sauvage