This unholy marriage that Skin Graft Records is officiating is one of the best things you will hear this year- Psychic Graveyard and USA Nails have been releasing some of the best noise rock/punk over the last few years. I have been with both bands since day one and have heard their sounds slowly evolve: Psychic Graveyard has become more chilling and esoteric, and USA Nails more feral and noisier. Both bands are making their best music right now, and this split is a must-have.
Let’s start with Psychic Graveyard. Their brand of mechanical post-punky, noise rock is alive and well (“Building You A Rainbow”, “What Happens At Zero”). The other tracks have an added creep factor: “Strangest Hobbies” and “Love My Skeleton Too” sound like some Cronenberg-esque bio-machinery on the fritz, lying somewhere between Arab On Radar, Helios Creed, Flesh Narc, and Chrome. Of course, all of this is completed with the unhinged vocal stylings of Eric Paul (the clever sarcasm and social commentary are always an added bonus).
As for USA Nails, my favorite thing is how they manage to make every release sound different while maintaining their energetic and raucous sound. They are one of my favorite frontrunners of the current noise rock revival and would fit in comfortably with bands such as Tongue Party, Metz, Spectres (UK), Girl Band, etc. Here on this split, there is something dirtier about these tracks than previous releases—such as the recording quality and overall songwriting—and it really works well for this band. The songs range from galloping, fractured, spastic shards of noise-punk (“It’s All In The Context”, “Two Footed Jump Into A Wall Whilst Chewing On Fingernails”, “Tooting Broadway”) to plodding rhythm sections that slowly accumulate swaths of noise, jagged guitar riffs and distorted vocals (“What Have We Become”, “God Help Us If There Is A War”, “Love Embassy”).
Check out interviews from each band below!
Eric Paul of Psychic Graveyard
The sound and feel of your previous full length, Veins Feel Strange and this current split is a lot darker and grosser and I absolutely love it, was this intentional or naturally occurring?
Psychic Graveyard: Thanks so much! We agree with you. The releases are darker. However, it wasn’t intentional. The songs were just being filtered through the darkness of the pandemic. The anxiety of this pandemic factored heavily into the songwriting process.
What is the writing process for Psychic Graveyard with half of your members living in other states?
Psychic Graveyard: Admittedly, it is very challenging. With Veins Feel Strange, Nathan would usually create a skeleton of a song and we would record our ideas in our own cities and then, ultimately get together with Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets in Rhode Island to piece it all together. With the songs we wrote for the split with USA Nails, most of those songs began with guitar. Paul would send Nathan some guitar lines he was recording at home. Nathan, Charles, and I added our parts and because the pandemic was still raging, we sent the songs to Seth Manchester to mix.
Is Ms. Cleo buried in the Psychic Graveyard?
Psychic Graveyard: Yes. Along with Jean Dixon.
You’re a Libra aren’t ya darling?
Psychic Graveyard: Paul is a Pisces. Charles is a Gemini. Eric is a Capricorn. Nathan is an Aries.
Any specific lyrical themes or influences for this split?
Psychic Graveyard: This is tough. The themes range from the death of a cat to co-dependency to self-help groups.
What is that recording of those people chatting on “Wrecked At The Yankee Swap”?
Psychic Graveyard: It is a conversation taken from an answering machine from the 80s of two Italian women complaining about their families.
What have you been listening to and/or watching these days?
Psychic Graveyard: We have been enjoying these albums lately: Thoughtless Cruelty by Thank, Present Tense by FACS, Haram by Armand Hammer, They Say I’m Different by Betty Davis, Garlands by Cocteau Twins, Land Of Rape And Honey by Ministry, and a bunch others. As far as watching: We’ve all been habitually watching the movie Twister over and over.
Any other projects you are the other members are currently involved in?
Psychic Graveyard: No. this band is already too much.
What does 2022 look like for Psychic Graveyard? Any tours? More music?
Psychic Graveyard: We have a few tours lined up. We are out now on the west coast playing shows with Hong Kong Fuck You. In April, we are playing the UK with METZ. We are in the process of booking a Midwest/ Canadian/ East Coast tour for July and this summer we are going to start demoing a new album.
How did this split with Psychic Graveyard happen?
Is the name USA Nails from the Blood Brother’s song?
USA Nails: Haha, we are named after a nail salon in Hackney in London. We get asked this question a lot, we dig Blood Brothers but it’s kind of a coincidence.
How is the noise rock scene in England? Anyone you want to give a shout-out to?
Your tracks on this split are some of your best and seem to be a bit more aggressive and gungier- is this intentional or did it just naturally happen?
USA Nails: Well hey thank you. We didn’t intend for them to come out aggressive, we just start writing and whatever comes out, comes out. I guess the writing for these was a bit fractured and weird, like half the tracks we recorded just after Life Cinema, and the other half we did last summer between lockdowns. Also, Steven moved away from London last year so we’ve had to change the way we work a bit. But yeah, not really any intention behind that, maybe just the result of a slightly different approach.
For a noise rock band, getting the Skin Graft Records stamp of approval is the ultimate honor, how did this come about?
USA Nails: It’s hard to overstate how big a deal it is for us to be working with Skin Graft, like you say it’s a huge honor. Some of our fave bands ever are on SG, I never thought for a moment that we’d ever have something out with them. But hey also I need to shout out Box Records here, who are dealing with the UK/EU side of the release. Box is releasing some of the best stuff in the UK at the minute like Thank and Obey Cobra. To have both Skin Graft and Box teaming up on this is totally unreal.
What are you all watching and/or listening to right now?
Daniel says “I’m listening to Medio Mutante (excellent goth-pop from Mexico City), Model/Actriz, Backxwash, Miki Matsubara (90s Japanese pop star). Just finished watching Ozark. Also, I like watching YouTube channel Hollow, where I watch a guy playing psychological horror games.”
You guys have been a part of so many awesome other bands, Silent Front, Oceansize, Kong, etc. are any of these bands still active? Or any other projects you are involved in?
What does 2022 look like for USA Nails? Any tours and/or more music in the works?
Is there a “Close My Eyes Forever” cover in the works with Eric Paul doing Ozzy’s parts?
USA Nails: I’d prefer to do “Endless Love” but hey as you asked so nicely, why not?
You can find the pre-order for the split at https://skingraftrecords.bandcamp.com/album/split
HONG KONG FUCK YOU and PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD – CALIFORNIA TOUR DATES
3.4.22 Los Angeles at Zebulon Cafe w/ Prissy Whip & DJ John Dwyer
3.5.22 Oakland at Golden Bull w/ Fuckwolf
3.6.22 Los Angeles at Non Plus Ultra w/ FM and DJ John Dwyer
4.2.22 Manchester UK at Gorilla
4.3.22 Birmingham, UK at Hare and Hounds
4.2.22 Blackpool, UK at Bootleg Social
4.3.22 Manchester, UK at Yes
4.4.22 Newcastle Upton Tyne at Cluny
4.6.22 Glasgow, Scotland, at Stereo
4.7.22 Leeds, UK at Brudenell Social Club
4.8.22 Bristol, UK at Thekla
4.9.22 Brighton, UK at Green Door Store
4.10.22 London, UK at Scala
