album: Our Milk — Nudie Mag

words: aaron eisenreich

Nudie Mag’s debut album, Our Milk, is an fun, oddball record that can be summed up best by one of the group’s tweets: “Soft ass music b/w hard ass guitars.” A side project from hardcore musicians, the music blends girl group vibes, sustain-heavy guitars, and charming back-and-forth vocals between Alec and Shannon Faber. All of it is held together by Colin Young’s emphatic drumming that matches the heavy punch of the guitars. The result is an unabashedly enjoyable record that never takes itself too seriously despite the perfect execution.

The album starts with the lead single “110,” a catchy song with the aforementioned hard ass guitars adding a heavy base below lyrics like “my heart keeps getting its ass beat over and over again.” It’s followed by “The Shape of My Heart,” a breezy tune relying heavily on oldies rock vibes and “Please Be The One,” a sugary pop tune reminiscent of the seventies.  All three openers reflect what makes Nudie Mag so fun, featuring sing-along choruses and earworm melodies.

Next is the title track, certainly the weirdest and most entrancing song on the record. The guitars give way to heavy synths and drum machines for a dreamy, soaring song that you’ll probably find yourself singing along to. One beat after it’s over, the band kicks back into gear with “Summerland,” a standout on an album full of great songs with one of the biggest choruses on the record.

The second half of the album picks up with “Fan of You,” the best example of the group’s back-and-forth vocals with the singers trading charming and quirky quips like “I’ll be your Murtaugh / I’ll be your Riggs” and “I might have low T / I’ll be your Cialis.” It’s a fun song that is uniquely representative of the band’s sound. The group follows it with a wholehearted embrace of their influences with a Ronettes by way of The Beach Boys cover of “I Can Hear Music,” featuring a lone electric guitar and Shannon Faber on lead vocals. 

At just a minute in length, it works as a perfect transition into “Pet (What’s the Point of Love),” a killer pop song that kicks into gear with the line “you make loving so un-fucking fun.” Nudie Mag get one last upbeat tune in with “She’s A Star!” (apologies to astrology folks for the lyrics). It’s a fun song full of “ooh-oohs” leading into the one liners that somehow come off as both heart-on-the-sleeve and tongue-in-the-cheek at the same time. The album ends with “Mourning Cloak,” a somber little tune driven by piano and acoustic guitar. 

Nudie Mag is able to pack all of this into a considerably small amount of time as the record clocks in at less than half an hour. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself just hitting play on track one again when it’s over. Our Milk is a welcome record in these times where things can seem so serious and heavy-handed. Plus, it just rocks.