The guys of Nothing but a Nightmare have learned a lot of life lessons over the past two years. Friends aren’t always forever. The world can be a nasty place, especially post-COVID. And, most importantly, frustrations can be perfectly channeled into the ultimate pop/punk album.
On Oct. 14, Eddie Tamanini (lead vocal/guitar), Clayton Malaney (bass), Dom Vacca (drums) and Owen Magers (keys) dropped The Salvation, the third full-length release of Nothing but a Nightmare. Drawing influence from the sound of Machine Gun Kelly, with angst-fueled lyrics reminiscent of Taylor Swift, this latest addition to NBN’s discography is a brand new venture for its members.
“We’ve grown up a little bit,” Tamanini told The Times in a recent interview. “The first album [Nostalgia] was very much, we were just writing fun, stupid little stories.”
For NBN’s sophomore album Kleptomania, released in 2020 during the throes of the pandemic, it explored a pop/rock sound and tracks that tackled mental health struggles — something most of the world could relate to at that time.
As for The Salvation, its 11 songs don’t hold back in expressing the rage often associated with young adulthood. With everyone heading to college, embarking on careers and falling in love, it’s not hard for even the best of friends to drift apart.
“No matter how it happens, it always sucks,” said Malaney.
The album is also an ode to the overarching anger felt by society as it copes with a post-pandemic normal. When Tamanini returned to college following months of isolation, it seemed to him that people forgot how to interact with others in a civil manner.
For him, penning songs for The Salvation helped him deal with his own negative feelings.
“Writing any song kind of puts any emotion on the backburner, puts it away for a bit,” he said.
Regarding the track titles, including “I Hate You,” “Start A Fight” and “She Always Ruins A Good Time,” they cut right to the point. Malaney was the brains behind much of the lyrical work heard on The Salvation. After growing tired of dealing with other people’s opinions about his life, Malaney was able to vent through NBN’s music: “You’ve gotta do what you want to do, say what you want to say, because you may never get the chance tomorrow.”
Tamanini added, “I’m not one for confrontation directly. Doing it creatively and subtly putting it in a song is the ultimate way of getting my point across. It definitely comes through in the music.”
Two of the songs on The Salvation — “Can’t Fix Stupid” and “Pretty Good at Bad Decisions” — were featured on past albums and re-recorded this year.
Though hectic schedules made it difficult for all four members to be in the studio at the same time, they were together as much as possible, with each member heavily involved in the album’s creation. As a result, there was a strong camaraderie that they believe translated into the music.
“We come to band practice to have fun and hang out,” said Vacca. “I hate drama.”
For Magers, who boasts a strong musical background, The Salvation is his first time recording with NBN, and also his inaugural experience being part of a band.
“I know it’s the first album that I’ve been on, but I think this is the best music that we’ve put out,” he said.
The release of the new album is an exciting time for NBN because it means their schedules will soon be packed with live shows.
“The album’s cool, but live shows are where we get to show off everything we have,” said Malaney.
There are several upcoming gigs for NBN, including Oct. 27 at Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, and Oct. 29 at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The guys gave a shoutout to two young fans who have fiercely followed the band since its early days performing at the Bristol Wharf. Not only do they craft their own NBN T-shirts, they chose to forgo trick-or-treating in 2020 to attend a Halloween concert.
“They’ve been to more shows than my parents,” Malaney said with a laugh.
NBN has come a long way since 2019, when they sat down for their first interview with The Times. Their debut album Nostalgia had just dropped and “The Girl From Scandinavia” was a hit with the students of Villa Joseph Marie. In three short years, they survived some personnel changes, over 30 canceled gigs due to COVID and intrusive thoughts about the fate of the band.
They’ve come out on the other side stronger than ever … and with a lot to say.
Keep up with Nothing but a Nightmare and listen to The Salvation, available on all streaming platforms, at nbnband.com.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
