5 Questions With: Nervous Twitch
The indie pop band stops by to chat about their latest record, the Leeds UK scene and more.
Good morning!
Today we’re talking with Leeds UK-based trio Nervous Twitch
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Leave well enough alone. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
On their fifth album, Nervous Twitch does precisely that. Some People Never Change is another strong effort standing on the shoulders of the records that came before it.
Going from strength to strength, Some People is equal parts indie pop and post-punk with a bit of 60s girl groups dusted over the top. Erin Hyde’s vocals are a nice balance of snarl and gratitude. The usual suspects (Wire, Buzzcocks) heavily influence the sound here, with the band also specifically citing The Breeders, The Kinks, and Ben Lee.
It’s not all icy angular riffs and motorik beats, though; Kara Buchanan from Portland’s Crystal Furs makes an appearance on keys on “Social Chameleon,” and tracks like “It’s Going To Be Okay” stretch out a bit and change things up.
It would’ve been easy for a record that got its start during the pandemic to be a downer. But the record is never dour, pointlessly angry, or a drag. It’s a fun listen about things most of us can relate to.
Some People Never Change is 13 tracks of electricity and energy that mix it up at the right time. If you haven’t already, give it a spin (scroll down), and if they’re coming to the stage near you, definitely grab a ticket!
Recently I had a chance to catch up with Jay and Erin from the band over email, and we covered a lot of that ground. It’s been lightly edited for clarity.
Can you color in a little bit of the band’s backstory? What made you get started? Were any of you playing together in previous bands?
(Jay) None of us had played in bands together before. I played in a different band and had a solo project with some demos that would become early Nervous Twitch. I formed the band with some friends, and the drummer dropped out soon after forming. Erin had just started drumming, so I convinced her to join.
Not long after, Erin moved to bass. And then, following that, Ash joined a year or two later.
For those in the States (or at least not in the UK), what’s the music scene in Leeds like?
Leeds is a well-trodden town for touring bands, which means you get a wide variety of groups coming through. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen bands as big as Blondie and Public Enemy and had the honour to support some of our heroes, such as the Rezillos.
On a more local level, Leeds is a bit of a melting pot of different scenes, and there are lot of venues, which means a lot of different styles and genres are covered. But also still remains a touring town for more DIY bands.
I can hear quite a few influences on the latest record. Who would you include here?
(Jay) The Breeders, The Kinks, Ben Lee, and perhaps more so, a lot of song-writing techniques and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way; chord progressions, lead parts, etc.
Along with that, you’ve released several records just in the last few years. Did you have a lot of material built up? If not, how does the band come up with so many new tracks so quickly?
We have released five albums over seven years, starting in 2015. Although we’re certainly prolific, our back catalogue was loaded onto Spotify by our label in 2020; perhaps misleading some people into thinking that we released them quicker than we actually have.
What’s next? Back to the studio? Out on the road? I saw there were a handful of regional dates last fall. Any plans to head back out? What’s 2023 look like for you?
We're trying to get out to cities we've never ventured to. In April, we have a North East (England) and Scotland weekend tour, starting in Middlesborough supporting His Lordship, Edinburgh, Aberdeen (excited to go here for the first time!), and Gateshead.
We are hosting our own DIY all-dayer Part Time Punks at the end of April. Last year was the first time, and we invited a lot of bands we'd heard (mainly through touring). It was a massive success; it turns out people wanna hear bands that we think are ace, so we're trying it all again this year!
AND dead excited to be organising our first trip across the pond this year! Catch us in California this September!
5 Questions
1. Describe your music style in one sentence
Somewhere in between '77 punk and C-86 indie.
2. Growing up, what was playing in your house?
(Erin) Being a north American 70s kid, my mum had quite good taste in music, and it would always be on constant rotation. Alice Cooper, The Guess Who, The Beatles, and even a lot of 60s artists such as Dusty Springfield.
My mum had really good car tapes too, which was probably my first introduction to The Rolling Stones and Blondie. I think she may have been a bit confused by me as a punk teenager. But she must have come around eventually and did admit that "we were actually quite good" when I first showed her some of our recordings!
3. What are you listening to these days?
(Jay) I’ve been listening to the reissued C86 compilation a lot and a lot of Television Personalities and The Cleaners from Venus.
4. What are your 5 Desert Island Discs?
Johnny Thunders- LAMF
The Vaselines- Dum Dum
Ramones- Leave Home
Television Personalities- And Don't The Kids Just Love It
The Muffs S/T
5. If you could collaborate with anyone/group, who would it be?
There are lots, but maybe one which we feel in some ways would actually be in our reach - not that we know him, just in the sense that he is very much of the underground - Billy Childish. We love his guitar style and songwriting style, and overall production. It would be a good record!
Nervous Twitch- Some People Never Change
(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice)
To connect with the band and buy their music, please go to the following:
Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
In other news:
We lost both Burt Bacharach and De La Soul’s Dave “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicouer this week. Both made an indelible mark on the world of music and will be sorely missed. Do better, 2023.
Speaking of 2023, S.W. Lauden shared a guest post in his
newsletter from a DJ looking for any and all forms of "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones. He's looking to feature one version every week for the year.Got a version you want to share with the world? Here's how to do it.
A really good tweet (for real):
Rob and I first connected when we both were editing the same online Medium publication, and then later over a shared love of many of the same bands. A lot of us dream about writing a book one day; Rob’s doing it.
And it’s almost here.
If we like the same sort of music (and I’m guessing we do), Slacker is something you’ll want on your radar. This isn’t an ad or sponsored. I’m just excited- for him and the book both.
Click through to the tweet to check it out!
Thanks to Nervous Twitch for stopping by, and thank you for being here,
Kevin—
Great garage find! Just gave Some People Never Change a spin and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Also, congrats to your buddy on the book - the Soundgarden bit perked my ears...