Slowly rising from the shadows of silence on the back of a profoundly evocative guitar melody, Tainted Black’s “Nirvana” seeps through our speakers oozing emotion and inelegant tone. It’s rough around the edges and proud of it; every beat of the ensuing drum pattern springing back into place in an almost defeated fashion, unable to penetrate the string-born harmony. Our singer cuts into the instrumental fabric like a pair of long sharp shears, but here, his contemplative introspection and the smoldering voice that conveys it is in good company. You don’t have to be a big alternative rock buff to dig this new single and its music video, but for those who are, it’s a great way to kick off the summer soundtrack.
The chorus here is surrounded by the thickest bands of tension you’re going to find in an indie rock song this May. Anti-cathartic in the best way possible, “Nirvana” takes a few minutes to find its greatest groove, but once Tainted Black are off and running, there’s not a thing in this world able to slow their colorfully distorted campaign down. This is an excellent test of their endurance and sonic strength, and from where I sit, an amazing way to introduce listeners to their lean and mean rocker mentality.
I wasn’t listening to Tainted Black before coming across “Nirvana” just this past week, but I’ll definitely be looking out for more of their work in the future. Their 2019 eponymous LP, from which this single was spawned, demonstrates a lot of raw potential beyond the fiery sounds of this extraordinary excerpt. With a little more time and room to develop their style into everything that it can be, Tainted Black are going to see a lot of success in the American underground and beyond. I like what I’m hearing, and I doubt I’m alone.