In Pursuit Of Something Interesting: Nick Check & the Dead Century

For this weeks edition of "In Pursuit Of Something Interesting", we are going to stay in the great state of Minnesota. I figured it would be better to dig into the different music from a specific region or city for a couple weeks before moving on to somewhere else. So this week, the gods of chance gave me the Nevada Sun EP from Nick Check & the Dead Century. This EP was brought to my attention after Ear Coffee's Wes Muilenburg wrote about their new single.

The opening track of Nevada Sun, "Houston," sounds like a pop version of a Bruce Springsteen song. It tells a hard-luck story of a man who is living out of a hotel in Houston. The track has a theme of longing and the desperation that permeates most of this band's songs. "Catchy Bruce Springsteen" is probably the best way to describe this EP.

The way the energy flows on the EP is what glues these songs together. "Waste Your Time" transitions seamlessly into "Tulsa." The two songs sound like they go together even though there is an obvious tempo change. "Tulsa" is easily the standout song on the EP. It has the feel of a western ballad where the main character is a hopeless wanderer (shout out to Mumford & Sons) who longs for a different life. The track also has all the twangy, tremolo guitar that you could hope for; it pays homage without being derivative. The fourth track, "Nevada Sun," sounds the most out of place on the EP. It is produced like a typical indie folk song. The song is mildly lo-fi and everything is dripping in reverb to make it sound distant. The closing song, "Seagulls," is about a woman stuck in an unhappy/loveless relationship. She feels trapped and wishes that she could be as free as the seagulls she watches down by the ocean.

The production on Nevada Sun is incredible. Everything feels like it is glued together and nothing clashes. It is easy to assume that an EP from a local singer-songwriter would be a little lo-fi (not in the good way); however, it was really surprising to hear something that sounds well produced but still has space to breathe. It's not your typical loud pop production (loudness war). The only issue I have with this EP is the song order. "Seagulls" feels a little out of place as the closer to a record. It would almost be better to replace "Seagulls" with "Waste Your Time" just so the listener could go out on an explosive note. Either way, this is an EP everyone should check out.

Listen to Nevada Sun below.