In the late aughts and early 2010s, the N.E.C. were ubiquitous in Atlanta music. Led by guitarist/vocalist Cyrus Shamir and bassist James Oh, the band seemed to take inspiration from all corners of the city’s kaleidoscopic underground. Rollicking garage rock. Hard-edged psychedelia. Swooning drones. Left-field pop experiments. Face-melting riffs. It all got tossed into the group’s seething psychic stew, which generally alternated between a slow, purposeful simmer and a roiling boil.
Over the course of seven years, the group churned out a half dozen albums, culminating in 2013’s mind-numbing R U Going to the Show? The LP was originally scheduled for a vinyl release, but the plans had to be scrapped when the label in charge of pressing suddenly folded. It was a heavy blow for a band seeking to maintain momentum, and although the N.E.C. never officially dissolved, the next couple of years saw them quietly fade from the scene. Eventually, Shamir moved to Los Angeles to pursue other projects, signaling an indefinite pause to the once prolific group.
But now, nearly seven years later, the hiatus has come to an end. In February the band announced the impending release of a new LP and shared a link to a limited presale. Rather than working with a label or financing a full vinyl run, the group chose to work with a third-party vendor who will only move to press once a certain threshold of pre-orders has been met. It’s a new approach for the N.E.C., one that allows them to deal directly with fans. “At the end of the day, I just want people who want this to get a copy and not deal with all the headaches surrounding label culture,” Shamir explains, “especially in a time where name acts aren’t even doing anything.”
Compiled from unreleased tracks left over from previous sessions, the five-song self-titled effort finds the band at their void-conjuring best. Epic psych-rock sprawlers are nestled alongside blistering anthems resulting in a record that is by turns murky and polished, though never overproduced.
Today we’re excited to bring listeners the first taste of the album in the form of the thundering “Unsetter.” Opening with an electrifying riff and blown-out vocals, the track quickly shifts into an uptempo romp that finds as much common ground with the Ramones as it does the Black Angels or Dead Meadow. With its punchy, no-nonsense pacing and melodic hooks, it’s as close to a tried-and-true rock single as I’ve ever heard from the group, while still retaining the N.E.C.’s penchant for distorted idylls.
Listen below.
In an effort to catch up with the N.E.C. and fill in the considerable gaps from the past few years, we reached out to Shamir who graciously agreed to answer some of our questions. In the conversation below, he offers insight into the new record, opens up about the group’s extended hiatus, and provides a strong glimmer of hope for those of us wishing we can see the band perform again in the future.
How have you all been handling the pandemic? Have you been able to remain active as a band?
Speaking for myself, the pandemic has been an insane challenge in so many ways. I’m assuming every single other person in the world feels that way, as well. The positives that have come from it are plenty in terms of music, oddly enough. I’ve had a lot of time to create and reflect and also work remotely with friends on projects we might have otherwise been too busy for. I also fixed a fair amount of equipment. This is all music related. Obviously, the pandemic has been an awful experience and the toll on human life and societal norms can’t be understated. That being said, we all have to adapt in our ways and continue our paths both personal and creative. [I’m] super excited to see the other end of it and for shows to return.
Speaking of the N.E.C. specifically, during the pandemic we have not been able to play or anything like that but this project has never been limited by time and place. I moved to L.A. around five years ago and in that time we’ve played around four shows, most of them being in 2019 leading up to 2020. We also went to the studio to record some new material/demos during that time, so considering I live about 2000 miles from Atlanta right now, we’ve been more active than one might have expected. When I first left in 2015, it felt like a good time to sort of ‘chill’ on the band for a moment but I’ve never considered the band done or over—I take every moment with a grain of salt. If I’m around ATL for any extended period of time, I always try to prod James Oh, the bass player, a little to see if he feels like playing. He always does. Have I mentioned how essential he is to the band? Well, he truly is and I really appreciate all his input and playing over the years. The band wouldn’t be what it is without [him]. He has a really positive “let’s make this work” attitude that is essential when doing a band.
If I’m not mistaken, your last release was the split with Nest Egg in 2014. Why such a lengthy hiatus between records?
That’s right. I ended up moving to L.A. for work a little while after that was released. It felt like a good time for a break and to try different stuff. I started a band in L.A. called Warm Deltas (we have a split coming up soon, stay tuned) which I really love and I think anyone who likes the N.E.C. should scope that project out. It fills the ‘heavy rock void’ the N.E.C. created but I like having them both. Everyone in each band is super fun to be around and are creative musically. It’s almost like a band for each coast situation. I write a bunch so it’s fun!
The tracks on the new record are all holdovers from previous sessions. Was there a specific reason you omitted new material from the album?
Well, I consider the tracks on this album to be full-on N.E.C. tracks worthy of their own release. I probably didn’t feel that way back when we had batches of stuff trying to make record sequences. I think when you are in the moment, oftentimes you go with what immediately grabs you or makes sense or in a way defines where you are at that second. Plenty of times you make something you consider cool but it doesn’t fit anywhere. I know specifically the song “5 Moon Heavenly Thing” could have 100% been on Last Point of Radiation but for whatever reason, the song kept not making it onto sequences either because of length or very momentary feelings. That song in particular we have played a total of three times ever. Twice to practice it and once to record. You can hear that in the recording. It has a vitality that gets lost once you play something a bunch of times. Either you road test it or you get it right as it happens unconsciously. So I was digging around and kept finding these songs that had great recording takes but were unfinished or unloved and I could see what they needed to be and where they really fit in. But that took time and personal growth. So once I started doing that, I found that there actually was a solid N.E.C. record sitting there that needed some massaging and a little cherry-picking.
Can you talk a little about this record and how it fits within your overall catalog?
When I listen to this album, I honestly hear what the N.E.C. is all about. Everything is a live take to tape. We’re playing our hearts out, band in a room. We love some garage rock, crazy out-there psychedelia, and honest-to-goodness rock ‘n’ roll. No shame there; we enjoy all that stuff. I’ve always wanted to blend that with some pop-leanings. This album is that. It’s a trip around. It’s almost like a trip around Atlanta to L.A. You’ll be in some backyard party show, you’ll be at some venue watching a loud show, you’ll be back at home getting weird with delay pedals, then you’ll be off in the desert thinking about the cosmos. It’s like a ‘day in the life’ kind of approach. So the fact that a lot of this was tracked a while ago sort of gives that evergreen springiness from ‘simpler times’ perhaps.
We lifted “High Heel Walker” and “LaBlue” from the R U Going to the Show? tape. We were supposed to do a 12″ of that back in the day but the label fell through and I always felt like that one had some lumps and some gems. So this is kind of a way to rectify that and get a proper release for those two tracks as well as these unreleased songs. In the end, I think we made a true-blue N.E.C. record. And one that isn’t just B-sides or ‘junk’ lying around. We have plenty more unreleased stuff for that, too.
How did you end up settling on the limited presale approach to selling this album?
Honestly, I didn’t want to deal with labels for something like this. That’s not to say we couldn’t have gone through that song and dance but I’ve found this experience to be really rewarding because it has forced me to do something I never enjoyed: promoting. Also, you presell the album directly to who wants it. No shipping, no jackets, no boxes of shit lying about. And since touring is an impossibility at the moment, it made sense. I wanted it to be a super-limited run but also be full-quality. We found this cool operation in France, Digger’s Factory, that kind of makes this whole process super easy for the approach we’re trying to take. At the end of the day, I just want people who want this to get a copy and not deal with all the headaches surrounding label culture, especially in a time where name acts aren’t even doing anything.
“Unsetter” is such a punchy, energetic track. It’s also as close to a traditional single as I can remember from the band. Was there anything in particular that inspired you to go shorter and leaner on the track?
Thanks. Sometimes they just come out like that. That one to me is the backyard/house show thing—the energy—condensed. I don’t think I was thinking “I’m going to write a song about that,” it just came together that way. I try as hard as possible to let songs just come out. Sometimes it is easy and the thing writes itself, other times things are more wrought. That guy just fell out. I always thought we nailed the take but the mixing was really challenging because we did the basic track on this awesome 1950’s mono Ampex tape machine but that takes some wrangling to mix properly. I gave up on it because there were other tracks that came together quicker. It took years to find the right blend to get it to punch how it needs to.
Would you say this LP marks a return for the N.E.C.? Can we look forward to seeing the band live again once things open back up?
I would say at the moment it marks the release of a new collection of songs. Seeing that live music is a ways out still, we probably won’t be super active any time soon but that doesn’t exclude the possibility. I’m always scheming ways to get back out there. Having the space with it has really returned the project to a purely joyful experience. Back when I was on the scene every day, I felt a little draggy and the whole thing (the street-level music scene) got sort of tiresome. Now when we play, I enjoy everything about it and I just have so much fun playing. The last show we played was with Nest Egg and All the Saints. It was in a smaller bar and it was fucking incredible. Not only are those two of the greatest bands around (ever), it was just joyful. You know, you’re playing with your homies, people are really digging it, and you play well. That’s what it’s all about. The N.E.C. is definitely coming back to playing shows. We’ll most likely play these tunes next show, too, so that should be something to look forward to.
The N.E.C.’s self-titled LP is available for limited presale here until Apr. 18.
More Info
Bandcamp: thenec.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @NEC-20167392152