NØMADS share jagged new single ‘Xenophøbia’

NØMADS
Photo Cred: Sharon Alagna

Brooklyn post-punk duo NØMADS have shared Xenophøbia, the last single of 2017 from their series of one song per month based on rare or clinical phobias. December’s instalment is a jagged track that takes on xenophobia, the fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners, or of anything that is strange or foreign… a fear that has developed in the modern climate into a behaviour that is all too common, and unacceptable. Take a listen via Soundcloud below.

The lyrical perspective of the song is that of an aging, tyrannical emperor, pounding a fist at the masses from behind the podium (sound familiar?). This was the first song written for NØMADS’ forthcoming PHOBIAC project back in 2014, before the term itself was revived to become such a hot-button topic of the election. Lyrically, Xenophøbia serves as a meditation on what it means to be an outsider in the internet age. In the final verse, the narrator emperor finishes with the phrase “Everything I am is why you were looking to follow me,” a chilling fascist refrain.

Xenophøbia finds NØMADS’ partners Nathan Lithgow and Garth Macaleavey melding post-punk, fuzz, and melody into a tight, efficient two-piece sonic force to reckoned with. A study in modern psychology, their ‘PHOBIAC’ project will be split into two EP’s; Part 1’s songs feature frontman/songwriter Nathan Lithgow and drummer Garth Macaleavey, which largely expands upon the fuzzed-out, post-punk approach known to fans of their debut album ‘Free My Animal’ (you can still buy $1 vinyl LP’s via Bandcamp!), while Part 2’s songs are more bass-synth driven and feature Brian Wolfe (David Byrne & St. Vincent, The Dap Kings) on drums. Part 1 will be out in early this year, with Part 2 to follow later this the year.