The core of Nygma have shared the same personal and musical orbit for almost twenty years; Burnie, Caleb, and Colten first met in Ohio while attending church functions together. They have since re-located to Texas where the final piece of the Nygma puzzle, Chris, fell into place. The current lineup has played together for close to four years now, a small window of time, but they’ve nevertheless accomplished a great deal. 2022’s Alexander Nevermind remains an impressive concept album in an era when such releases are far from routine. These are experienced and talented musicians, however, and their shared creativity blossoms working together. Further evidence of that now arrives with their new single “Medusa”.
URL: https://www.nygmanoise.com/
It’s a manic and headlong blast of rock spiked with an insistent refrain. One of the band’s distinguishing qualities is their willingness to tackle imagery and devices culled from elsewhere. Their frame of reference is never exclusively musical. Riffing on the familiar mythology of Medusa provides the band’s songwriting with undeniable imagery that the bulk of their listeners will recognize and never risk obscuring their intentions. The lyrics are exactly what they need to be, though there may be some listeners who wish they were a little more extensive.
The arrangement is manic, yes, but there’s an irrepressible bounce present throughout much of the song. Nygma are capable of shifting gears, however, and scatter a variety of unexpected shifts during the performance that spices up an already flavorful track. Bookending the track with brief intros and outros that sound as if they are emanating from an old transistor radio is a nice touch and reflects the thought they put into the song’s overall construction. They keep things short and snappy, as well, with the song not even reaching the three minute mark.
The vocals are perhaps an underrated part of the band’s presentation. Given the band’s oft-stated debt to the hardcore scene of days gone by, it’s a bit of a jolt to hear such clean and accessible singing. It matches up well, however, with the band’s rambunctious musical attack. They apply some post-production effects to the vocals, but it never sounds like a meaningless affectation. It, instead, layers the singing with just the right amount of theatricality, never pretentious, and always in keeping with the spirit of the song.
Nygma are forging their own path. There are several reference points that an assortment of listeners may seize on as they listen to “Medusa”, but they are filtered through the band’s unique skill set and experiences to produce something they can call their own. There is no outright imitation or shallow mimicry going on here. Their first single of the new year comes across as a raw and impassioned romp with intelligence to burn. It isn’t a bold prediction, based on the song’s quality, that the rest of the year will see them scale new heights and score triumphs galore. It’s well worth your time and, most importantly, your hard earned money to stay abreast of what Nygma are up to.
Chadwick Easton