From Riverside to Los Angeles, singer-songwriter and genre-bending rock artist Nico Miles slams the scene with a new compilation of singles in his recent 13-track album, Let's Live!
"If you feel like you can do any better, start your own band," said Joe Strummer, the fuelling quote behind Nico Miles's career alongside influences from The Clash. Known for creating emotionally driven, energetic, and melodic rock music, Nico Miles is changing the bleak state of rock one compelling track at a time.
Now releasing his recent album, Let's Live!, listeners are invited to open up and "join the party, weed out old toxic ways, and give women and POC a safe place to exist and enjoy sharing being alternative," says Miles.
The new album kicks off with the introductory track, "Theory Of The Mundane (Part 2)," nothing short of a gripping anthem that starts the project with a bang. Nico Miles's charismatic and attitude-packed vocal delivery is enthralling, jumping through the speakers alongside riveting alternative rock meets punk rock instrumentals. It's a scorcher of a single and one that grabs your attention in a split second.
In the second track, "Side By Side," Nico Miles turns up the good vibes and passion with his upbeat instrumentals and feel-good melodies that surround the listener with radiance. Nico Miles's vocal melodies and energy aren't something to miss, and he showcases his vibrant performing stylings perfectly in this dynamic tune. There are hints of nostalgia that lie within the post-punk twists and turns, all while the stellar rock groove lifts us to the outro.
Throwing ourselves into the fire of the album's third track, "As Long As We Have To," the experience blasts off with crunchy and flaming electric guitars that shake the eardrums. At the same time, Nico Miles jumps into the exhilarating first verse. His cut-throat performance and no-bullshit energy are so engaging, especially as Miles channels the angst and emotion from the prime eras of punk. There are hints of Green Day in this quaking tune that bring a whole other anthemic and intense layer.
"Get Off My Back," says Nico Miles in the angst-ridden fourth track that pounds the speakers with heavy drums, rhythmic bass licks, crunchy guitars, and Miles's contagious energy. This song is a pronounced middle finger from Miles himself, who's had it with inequality, unequal pay, and toxic ways of the past. "Keep on talking that shit, and you're gonna get smacked. I am the manager, so get the fuck off my back," he exclaims.
Reaching "The Fifth" track and the album's halfway point, Nico Miles rolls us into a gripping and chilling rock groove with pulsating guitars and fiery drums alongside his charismatic vocal punches. He uses this track to remind listeners to stand tall and always be proud of who they are, inviting them to join the party and let loose without worry. This is another foot-stomping anthem that stopped us dead in our tracks within seconds.
Ready for a "Friday Night Blackout?" hop into the spicy sonics in the album's sixth track that blasts us into peak punk sounds. Nico Miles brings us dead-splat into an invigorating punk-rock experience with his steamy instrumentals, lively energy, and killer performance stylings that demand our attention from top to bottom. We love the attitude in this song; it's the perfect anthem for anyone in need of an empowering and fiery outlet.
Slowing things down is track number seven, "Apocalypse," kicking off with another rich and dense rhythm guitar introduction that leads into the moody, twangy, and classic rock instrumental. Nico Miles soars into the verse with the utmost power and passion while describing a lingering need for change in the "Apocalypse" we live in. It's an incredibly cathartic listening experience where you can practically hear the weight being lifted from Miles's shoulders.
Steamrolling into track number eight, "The Pack," we're getting some major Peaky Blinders soundtrack vibes with the heavy and quick rock instrumentals that leave our speakers smoking. Nico Miles jumps into the track with a thrilling homage to the good old days while reminding us that although those days are gone, we're still here and thriving. We love the upbeat and feel-good nature of this head-banging tune; it's packed with thrills and chills from beginning to end.
Onto the album's ninth and final track, "Kill The Noise," Nico Miles smacks the speakers with his familiar electric guitar introduction that paves the way for his fiery punk rock instrumentals. If one thing is for sure, it's that Nico Miles knows how to create one hell of an anthem that commands your attention, no matter what it's about. This is another solid representation of Miles's feisty performance stylings and his empowering lyrics that make the listener want to rally for change.
Find the energy, passion, and inspiration you're looking for all within the nine stellar tracks of Nico Miles's recent album, Let's Live!, now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome back to BuzzMusic, Nico Miles. We love the empowering themes and energy in your new album, Let's Live! When did you start creating and writing these songs? How long was the album in the making?
It is my pleasure to be featured with BuzzMusic LA once again! Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad empowering was the takeaway. 90% of these songs came from riffs I had on my phone over the past six years. I started organizing, completing, and recording what I decided to keep at the beginning of 2021, along with several other projects that are coming out soon. All of what I call “caveman” rock riffs went together. I wanted to create something simple and fun but with a message. Almost like a palate cleanser from the rest of the more complex or emotionally dramatic music I’ve recorded in the past couple of years. We finished recording, mixing, and mastering Let’s Live! towards the end of Spring 2022. Since July, we have been releasing each song weekly, like an episodic series. In the end, you can binge-listen. (September 23, 2022).
Although Let's Live! is a compilation of weekly singles, is there a running theme or concept behind these songs?
If you hear what the words are actually saying, the album gets to the core of being a young person in the middle of trying to figure out where you belong. There are harsh lessons in finding out the difference between potential and reality. Especially when you’re trying to party the trauma away while figuring out your identity with people you probably won’t know in a couple of years. It’s romantic but incredibly sad and difficult. You get your heart broken a lot as a young person, and self-destruction is easy. I wanted to show that you can get to the other side of it as well. And ultimately that you can achieve anything you want if you think for yourself and put in the work. That means towards your mental health too. That then can go towards creating better environments for each other that don’t have the misogyny and racism I repeatedly saw in white rock clubs coming up. I denounce that behavior entirely and call for what I’m already starting to see with the new class of young Rock N’ Rollers: peacefully coexisting and having fun. Let go and party, but everyone is invited, and you don’t have to hurt yourself or anyone else in the process. Life and the soap opera-like communications we have with each other have handled plenty, I promise. My friends and I always talked about making a record (or records) that was just straight-up Rock N’ Roll with the sense of humor and the esthetics we’d been jokingly threatening to do for years amongst ourselves. Something bright and colorful at a party with Pabst Blue Ribbon to commemorate our youth and the new kids coming up in theirs. It’s all very Inspired by Foxboro Hot Tubs (a drunken 60s garage rock Green Day side project.) It’s unbelievably tongue and cheek. I’m wearing a leopard print coat, for crying out loud! Right before being a joke, but completely dead serious about the subject matter.
Did you have any artistic influences or projects in mind when creating the songs for Let's Live!? Who or what had an impact on this album?
As far as influences go, Foxboro Hot Tubs were probably the genesis of the entire concept. With that, I wanted to pay homage to the originators and architects of Rock N’ Roll like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Big Mama Thornton, Bo Diddley, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, etc. Though it probably sounds closer to The Hives and The Vines, more garage rock song. The city of Riverside and Los Angeles influenced all the themes and the overall attitude in the sound of this project. I grew up in the inland empire and would go to all the Rock N’ Roll clubs in Los Angeles growing up. Good and bad experiences with all the above influenced Let’s Live! musically and lyrically. I’m glad to have learned a thing or two, but the scars are still there. Love/hate relationships with all of it, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be than Southern California even if it’s flawed.
Is there a song from Let's Live! that you're most proud of? Which were you most excited to bring to the masses?
I think Side By Side is an important song because of its themes of unity and equality. Creating a safe space so that everyone can exist peacefully. Ultimately that’s what I’m all about, and I’d like to communicate to the masses. I really want to create a culturally and musically diverse community where everyone feels like they belong with each other, even if they’re into different things. I see that at Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw. It’s a community of dope, forward-thinking fashionable individuals that like all kinds of music. I don’t see that much in Rock N’ Roll. Without community and change towards a more POC-friendly environment, it will die. None of us can do it alone. We all need each other. There are guitars and drums playing everywhere still. And there are actually tons of people from different walks of life who are into this music; I just want to find them so we can unite.
What did you want to provide listeners with when releasing Let's Live!? What did you want them to experience with this album?
I want them to have fun, crack open a PBR and be joyful around the people they trust most. This record is there to reflect and get through dark patches but also to reminisce about the old days while being able to move forward and create new healthy memories. More partying, less stress, less living a life that isn’t your choice, and more W’s. I wish everyone nothing but peace and good times. Even if you gotta work hard as hell to create that for yourself, it’s worth doing.
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