Nihiloceros - "iamananimal"

I’ve always enjoyed how Nihiloceros’ music seems to perfectly capture frontman Mike Borchardt’s own boundless energy. He’s got a lot of it. If you’ve been to a show in Brooklyn in the last decade, he’s probably been there, too. Beyond attending shows and being an all-around cheerleader for the music scene, he’s also a key part of several great projects, including Treads and Murder Tag, the latter of which we featured last week. But Nihiloceros is his main thing, and last week Borchardt shared “iamananimal,” the lead single from the band’s forthcoming EP, Self-Destroy. It’s their first proper release in several years and it does not disappoint.

“Iamananimal” is a bold, fast, and hook-filled punk tune that does a nice job balancing out some of its punkier elements with strong melodies. The guitars are menacing in a way that’s reminiscent of Bad Religion, but there’s a lot of sweetness, too, in the form of some addictive harmonies, which get an added boost from Gillian Visco (Shadow Monster), who collaborated with Borchardt on the track.  It strikes a happy medium sonically, and lyrically, explores human beings' natural, animalistic tendencies.

Stream the track below!

Self-Destroy drops on September 17th via Totally Real Records. You can pre-order the EP on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. You can also stream “iamananimal” on your platform of choice, including Spotify. Keep up with the band by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram.

Photo by Stevie Anselm