Honestly, there's such a turn in Nick's eyes as soon as he puts a microphone in his hand. The guy hops on stage and fucking tears his heart out of his chest. He screams, dances, and thrashes around like a dying animal.
Aside from the massive intrigue that his performance provides, part of the reason that Nick's work strikes audiences so hard is because of how well put together it is. Discordant, haunting, fucking produced—It's goddamn astonishing to watch someone so young perform like a crowd of thousands is right in front of him, even if it's actually just a small room.
The Nick Pants sound is very dramatic—by that I mean it is very epic— Like, in the very specific sense that it evokes a consequential—epic horror and dread. It is this, mixed with so much concentrated rage.
In fact, If I had to put a word to the way that Nick plays and performs, it's concentrated. Concentrated rage, concentrated physicality—It is this concentration that allows for such acutely painful and incredibly charged performances—It has this—intention behind it. I think that intention is so desperate to be heard that people have no other choice but to identify with it.
Quick tangent:
Victor on drums is such a fucking asset by the way. Nick's frantic movements are perfectly anchored by Victor's equally expressive, yet more stationary performance. I wanted to make sure that was in here, cause Victor killed just as hard and can be credited to a big chunk of percussive work alongside Nick. Not to mention his own solo project "Earhole" which has so many fuckin' gems of its own.
Now to get back on track—
Something I find particularly interesting is the creative choices made concerning the visual and tactile elements of the DD-DEATH show and album. Most notably the clothes Nick wore both on the album cover and at the show.
In a separate, more specific interview I had with Nick about the cover art for "DD-DEATH"—He told me this about the decisions he made: "I enjoy iconography. If I'm not known for the music I'm known for the character I've created. Not to say the lyrics aren't real to me, but it's a specific part of me that I shared in this album." This is a really insightful comment. It shows that Nick doesn't just think of his work in one dimension—Part of the complexity he has built alongside a specific music style and performance grandeur—is a crafted visual brand.
He also later stated that: "I made DD-DEATH from 2019 - 2022. I am 20 turning 21 now. Most of this was made in high school. Describes a lot of teen angst and growth during that time. So yeah that's what that character was molded from. It's me nonetheless. Whatever I release next is what I am during that time."
Partly representing the everyman (by simplistic color and styling choices), while also casting his own persona on the figure, the result is kind of this beautiful, relatable, metaphor for growing up. His bowling-patterned shirt and corduroy pants may very likely be cast off for his next album, the change in visuals signifying a change in character, from old—to new.
—"I always tried to contrast what the music is about with my outfits. I also just dress like that but I'm always told I don't look like I'd be making the music I make haha". Which—kudos to him for recognizing that he does just kinda look like—some fucking guy normally—and how that makes the show even more jarring when he does everything he does.
Nick has been performing for about a year now, sometimes solo, sometimes accompanied by percussionist Victor. Having played about twenty shows total, with an upcoming seven in this year, we have more noise destruction to look forward to—AND an incredible amount of ogling to do as NICK HAS ONLY DONE 20 SHOWS??? I'm fucking blown away.
I find artists from the Sacramento area debut when they know they're ready. Once they've taken the time to decide what they want, how they want to present—and are one-hundred percent ready. Nick is one of those artists, and I would like to express the profound impact I forsee him having on the hardcore scene of today.
You can find Nick Pants on Instagram!
As well as his counterpart Victor!
Earhole is also on Bandcamp!
I'm hoping to check in on his work in a couple months from now to see what's new and how he's grown. I look forward to it massively.
As always— Thanks for the read!
See ya later!!
No comments:
Post a Comment