Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Nervous Nellie consists of a pair of brothers who, after being uprooted from their suburban Chicago home as children, have still not fully regained their sense of belonging. After teaming up with another set of brothers from their new home, they decided to run with this sense of confusion. They have been influenced by everything from Michael Jackson and The Four Tops to Mötley Crüe, a fact that helps to explain their highly diverse sound. Having released an indie rock album, a country album, and a folk album so far, the band’s path is charmingly convoluted, to say the least.
For their U.S. debut, the band settled on a synth-pop sound, reminiscent of a mix between Swedish contemporary Miike Snow and Phoenix. The title track of their EP, “Gloves,” starts out with a dark and driving beat and haunting synth chords, evolving into a bleak statement with bare vocals. Shouting, “We’re bouncing off of each other / The gloves are coming off,” the song drives its message home with an honesty that is not blanketed in ornamentation.
Nervous Nellie’s U.S. debut has garnered press from the likes of Paste Magazine and MTV Buzzworthy. However, they have a bit of a way to go before they can truly infiltrate the U.S. market — they have no plans to tour at the moment, but hopefully we will see more of them in the future.