The Nuts- The Nuts

One thing there is never enough of in classic pop punk that is definitely more punk rock, leaning heavily towards the early days is women and not just any kind of woman! I'm talking about ones with a deep respect for the foundation, who have a strong presence as true punk rockers in the male dominated scene. I must have asked Dee Dee to make it happen enough because a longtime member of the Italian scene who goes by the name of Valentina DeRosa(ex-Sockets) from Piacenza, Italy is arriving to add some balance to our little universe. Joined by fellow lady punk rocker Palmi(ex-Photogenics) and then a cool guy Molby(ex-Lawyer Beaters), they each with their own individual experience complete a new entity known as The Nuts. As a friend of Vale, I've been lucky enough to hear what they were creating since it all started in the beginning of the year going back to her acoustic demos. With witnessing their fast growth and progress as a band, I've been so excited for everyone else to give them a listen and now I can finally tell you about it because their debut self titled 7" is out!!

The songs were recorded during April with mixing and mastering done in July by Cristiano Sanzeri at Giardini Sonori Studio in Piacenza, IT. This studio is the same one that was used by Tough for their recent 7" I reviewed and the sound quality is once again top notch. A great photo of the band taken by Molby's wife Betta was used for the cover that is done by none other than Andrea Manges along with the layout. I've made no secret of my adoration for his artistic view and this time he did another fabulous job with his simple yet strong approach. Official release by Monster Zero Records was on September 21st which also happens to be the 36th anniversary of the Ramones "Road To Ruin" being released. That's a pretty awesome date to have! It is available in the form of a 7" pressed in the amount of 300 pieces on black vinyl and has a download code. If you want digital only, The Nuts are happy to accommodate you with that request on their bandcamp page where the songs are also streaming in full. It should be up on iTunes shortly as well.

I really love this band's sound. It's very reminiscent of early to mid 90's pop punk with some beautiful melodic touches and a whole lot of catchiness! None of the songs go over the two minute mark, no overdone solos, and Palmi's drumming is exactly what the music needs. This band is Ramones trained! With leaving out unnecessary elements and focusing on the heart of the songs, they've made a big statement in the music. Side A opens with "Mental Case" which is actually one of the first songs of theirs I heard with the full band in a rough demo! It's a perfect example of Vale's stregnth as a punk rock songwriter. Good, fast tempo, nice guitars from Molby, and a first look at Vale's beautiful voice. She's got every bit of femininity in the way she sings with no weakness. Bright, pretty, and powerful all at once. That's her presence and I love it. "Because Of You" moves away from the opening track's darker emotion to love with perfect backing vocals, a kick ass pop punk lead, and it's time to turn to side B! I'm a fan of all four songs but in being forced to choose one, I gotta go with the mid paced "Bad Dream". There's something that works so well in the way Vale sings it, the overall arrangement of the song, and little touches like the way it ends with some 50's inspired sounding guitar and the alarm clock that follows to wake her up from the nightmare she's singing about. The 7" closes with my favorite of the two love songs(look at me, finding a way to choose another haha), "Magical Mistery Day". Super pretty too with some well placed keyboards that don't overpower the song and then at it's last note, you'll find yourself through the first listen of this fantastic debut. If you're anything like me, it's time to flip back to side A and experience it again!

Aside from being just a solid way for The Nuts to introduce themselves, it's also the BEST new female fronted pop punk/punk rock band I've heard in a long time. It was much overdue and with the start of this band's journey being that good, I cannot wait to see what's in store from them. You can count on there being more! Huge respect to Monster Zero for taking a chance on a newer band like these gals and guy because their future is bright. Go over to the label's webstore and place an order for the 7", pick it up directly from the band, and I'm sure you'll be seeing it over at Striped once it relaunches which on a sidenote, I am really looking forward to! If you are able to make it, They will be doing a release show joined by the Leeches in Piacenza on October 10th. For the rest of us who can't quite make it out to Italy, you can stay tuned to the band's facebook and twitter pages for all upcoming news. Welcome to The Nuts, we accept you one of us!!

The Nuts are...

Vale- Vocals and Bass

Molby- Guitar and Backing Vocals

Palmi- Drums and Backing Vocals

All songs written by Valentina DeRosa

Tracks

Side A

1. "Mental Case"
2. "Because Of You"

Side B

3. "Bad Dream"

4. "Magical Mistery Day"