Psychedelic surf rock licks kicking off the Nude Party’s early-afternoon set Sunday on the BMI stage are about the last thing you’d expect rolling out of the Appalachian mountains of Boone, N.C., but the sextet’s laid-back, throwback vibe plotted perfectly in setting up ACL’s first weekend final day.
The Nude Party knows exactly what they’re doing with their Sixties-drenched sound, and they’re incredibly good at it. It’s high-quality quilting, patching together the best pieces into a new tapestry all their own, but not trying to obscure the obvious influences. The Byrds’ chameleon country rock, the Animals’ gritty jangle-psych, and especially the Rolling Stones’ bluesy swagger are all evident, along with just about every other touchstone nugget of rock & roll’s foundational quarry.
And yet all those sounds ultimately steady the band’s reeling jams.
“Water on Mars” riffed behind Patton Magee’s Mick-Jagger-meets-Jonathan-Richman vocals into the heavy bass lope and Shaun Couture’s nasally, Deer Tick-ish lead vox on “Time to Go.” Straight-ahead groover “Feels Alright” acted as a mid-set anchor alongside the blistering “War Is Coming,” while “Records” playfully picked up the Stones behind an earnest chorus of “I don’t need your love, I just need my records.”
The outfit closed out as expected with the lead single from this year’s eponymous debut LP on New West, “Chevrolet Band,” the boozy, youthful anthem rollicking behind Don Merrill’s hard-pounded keys. The Nude Party may be cruising familiar terrain, but they’ve made the trip their own.
This article appears in October 5 • 2018.
