Narrow Head’s Moments of Clarity delivered a collection of explosive, pop-minded songs that turned pain into catharsis. Nihilistic Easyrider, the project of frontman Jacob Duarte, heads in another direction, tapping into the 2000s emo and pop punk that shaped his coming of age. His new album, DELUXE EDITION, arrives July 25 via Run For Cover, fleshed out by Narrow Head drummer Carson Wilcox, producer/former tourmate Graham Hunt, and features from Momma’s Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman.
“Narrow Head and this project are equally big parts of me, and I need to do them both, but I always know if a riff is going to become a Narrow Head song or a Nihilistic Easyrider song the moment I first write it,” Duarte says. “In a funny way, these Nihilistic Easyrider songs are closer to the music I always wanted to make growing up — they’ve got that real ’90s and 2000s emo feel that I grew up loving and wanting to channel. When I write for Narrow Head, I’m writing for what the band needs, whereas these songs are more like a personal diary of growing up through music.”
Read more: AP A-sides: 10 songs you need to hear
“Getaway Plan,” the hook-filled first track, comes with a video directed by Nate Kahn. It opens with Matt Berry of the Berries, who signs Duarte to Run For Cover for a steep cost, though he isn’t without critique: “Nihilistic Easyrider, hell of a name. Long as hell.” See for yourself below.
Nihilistic Easyrider – DELUXE EDITION tracklist
- “Getaway Plan”
- “Weekend Forever”
- “Facedown”
- “Drive All Night”
- “Don’t Get Scared Now”
- “Well Kept Secret”
- “Sanitorium”
- “Smiles and Cries”
- “Everything Is So F*cked Up”
- “Howie On The Brain”
- “Waiting On Someone”
- “The Way It Crumbles”