There’s something reassuring about knowing that growing older doesn’t necessarily mean growing up. Or calming down. Or giving up music that sounds like someone throwing a filing cabinet down a flight of stairs.
Just ask NIXD.
The Chicago/Texas trio traces its origins back to 2003, when American Heritage joined British noise merchants The Art of Burning Water for a UK tour. More than two decades later, members of those bands are making an unholy racket together again, fueled by enduring friendships and a shared love of all things loud and abrasive.
Featuring drummer/vocalist Duffy, guitarist Shellhamer, and bassist/vocalist Bocek (also formerly of American Heritage and Ghosts and Vodka), NIXD aren’t particularly interested in easing anyone into their latest offering. We Don’t Belong Here, released in May through xCHCx Records, packs nine tracks into under 15 minutes, drawing on crust, hardcore, thrash, and the wonderfully unpleasant noise rock of the early AmRep era.
Recorded live in Chicago, the album is the band’s third release in as many years, suggesting that geographical separation and the accumulated indignities of middle age haven’t done much to dampen their enthusiasm.
That brings us to “Midlife Christless,” a title that practically introduces itself. But don’t go looking for existential crises or religious revelations. The song is actually about something rather more familiar: people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions, and the friendships that eventually become casualties of their behavior.
“This song is primarily about victims… Both victim culture and people who blame others for their shortcomings, as well as intentional victims of friendship taken advantage of,” explains Duffy. “We all have that friend who never owns up, takes advantage of others, fucks you or someone else over, and blames others. This is about that person. Lack of accountability.”
As for the accompanying video, premiering exclusively through Decibel today, the band handed creative control to a trusted friend.
“We just gave the song to our friend Yeva and she did her magic based on what she felt fit the vibe of the song,” Duffy says. “We are happy to have friends like that.”
And the title? “Song title is insignificant to the lyrics. We always just pick titles that make us laugh.”
There’s no calculated reinvention here, no attempt to be anything other than what they’ve always been: musicians who still find plenty of joy in creating something together, even when that something sounds like the world coming apart at the seams.
And frankly, who could argue with that?
Watch the “Midlife Christless” video below, and pick up We Don’t Belong Here on Bandcamp.
