In the 2024 Gremmy Awards I gave Mick a made-up "Best False Dick Dale" award for his song "Seashore", and that album in general showed a very strong sense of compelling surf tone. Two years later we have another surf record, which is notable because his first record was not! But in a short time of being a surf musician, Mick has covered a lot of ground, and Nightmare Twang is a savage statement of surf sound.
While Dick Dale mimicry is what initially perked my ears up, there's not a lot of that happening here. A lot of surf bands will toss in a Link Wray or Davie Allan tribute track, but Mick doesn't really dip into homage. He doesn't need it, he's got a sound of his own. Well, sorta. It's as surf as anything you'll hear, but man is it hefty! It sounds gigantic, full bodied, while still drippy, twangy, and colorful. And to be blunt about it, that's the draw of Nightmare Twang. This record sounds uh-mazing, and nearly every track ramps up to an intoxicatingly thick chaos. It's not one-note -- there's fine touches like a bit of piano in "D.E.X". But on the other hand, the songwriting is pretty simple. The next "Malaguena" is not on this album, and typically you're not going to find a song that will send you on a journey. But it's enough! The melody serves the sound, invents a reason to give you a new noise, and it works! In fact, on the last few songs of the album he quiets down again, and the results remain enjoyable.
Recommending this album feels like recommending a film based on cinematography or fight choreography, and that might not work for everybody, but that has certainly carried me through many films that I quite enjoyed. Nightmare Twang is a ferocious and fun record that smashes its way through its half-hour in a way that few surf bands can.
To my knowledge, this is a digital only release.
