In 2020, while much of the world was isolated and relying on things like Zoom happy hours and FaceTime chats to stay in touch, longtime friends and former Camden bandmates reconnected and decided to remotely write an album for first time in more than two decades. Following months of virtual collaboration, that collection of material can be heard on Skeleton Wedding, Wedding Music, an album the now-reformed Camden released last November. While recording that album, two of the band’s members—Ryan Weber and William Seidel—took what they call “a quick detour” and decided to start another project together.
In addition to playing in Camden, the Weber and Seidel also worked together as members of The Promise Ring, Decibully, and in a short-lived early 2000s project called New Sense. This new aural endeavor is named “Nuisance,” as a nod to that last project. While the names might have some phonetic similarities, Nuisance’s sound and its approach are nothing like that of its indie-pop predecessor.
The new project’s used “virtual instruments,” which Weber created by recording real-life instruments and then meticulously coding them into software. The creation of that “Onomatopoeia Series” of instruments took Weber approximately two years and, upon enlisting Seidel’s vocal services, the duo decided Nuisance would take an “immediate, expressive, and impressionistic” approach with that programming to make dreamy music with both classical and pop influences.
The rapidly-recorded adaptation of painstakingly-crafted instruments can be heard on Nuisance’s debut album. Kuchisabishii (Japanese for “lonely mouth”) was recorded on a self-imposed deadline. Weber allowed himself two days to write and record all the album’s music. After completing his parts and drafting a series of rules and restrictions for the project to adhere to, Seidel then had two days to compose and record the entirety of his vocals. The result of that restrained artistic exercise is 12 tracks the band considers to be “a beguiling demonstration of intimacy, immediacy, and musical artistry.”
Prior to Kuchisabishii‘s January 10 release via Katuktu Collective, Nuisance released a music video for lead single, “Nidificate,” which pairs public domain footage with the delicate and atmospheric song. You can hear three Nuisance songs and pre-order Kuchisabishii here. You can watch the “Nidificate” music video below.