Nina May
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Nina May

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"Swan's Song"

NINA MAY by Justin Grey

COMBINING A melodic female pop delivery with heavy alt-rock soundscapes, local four-piece Nina May ply an unexpected strand of progressive rock.

“We usually say it’s melodic hard rock with pop female vocals,” frontwoman Erinn Swan explains, “which is a bit long, but that’s how we describe it. The boys have come from more of a prog kind of base and I come from more of a pop perspective, although I have a wide appreciation of heavy music as well.

“It’s a bit of a novelty and it’s kind of cool. I’m usually the only girl on most of the line-ups we’re on, so it is unique and it does work for us in terms of making us a little different from every other heavy band.”

When Nina May first formed less than a year ago, these conflicting stylistic interests caused their fair share of troubles.

“It’s this clash between pop and that progressive, heavier sound coming together as a compromise,” Swan continues. “It’s like a war, because they’ll come in and say, ‘Oh no, we need to do something really weird here’ and I’m like, ‘No, keep it simple’.

“In the beginning we’d have fights and I’d storm off and get really cranky, but now I’ve been able to see the outcome of those things coming together and that makes us sort of unique. We’re starting to get better at figuring out the best way for the four of us to write a song and we get better with every song we write.”

Nina May’s successful merging of these two seemingly dissimilar styles is portrayed on their debut EP Make Love To Your Stereo, which is due out at the end of this month. The EP also demonstrates the band’s high production values, which were cultivated during the band members’ recently-completed music degrees at QUT.

“It came out amazingly well,” Swan says of the EP, “partly due to the fact that the boys put so much time into the production side. When I went over to America and took the CD over there, all the professionals that I spoke to said that the production side of it is great.

“We decided we’re going to release it through Smile Or Die Music, which is a label that myself and Matt from Repeat Offender started up. We’re just going to do it low key to begin with because we have only been together for such a short amount of time. We’re really pleased with the product but we know that our next product will be even better.”

Nina May play The Columbian Friday May 4.



- Justin Grey


"Jacqie"

Review

Nina may - Make Love To Your Stereo
Smile or Die Music
Review by Jacqie
Rating: 5/5

While milling through various press releases I was eventually directed to an artist page for the band Nina may. "Higher than You Do" was the first track I had ever heard from Nina may and I was immediately hooked. Fortunately, the rad people at Smile or Die offered to send me Nina mays new EP. It's the EPs diverse nature that caught my attention because it possesses the ability to stand out apart from most of the current releases that I receive on a daily basis. The band blends heavy instrumentals with kick ass female vocals. Check out the review Blake wrote about Nina Mays EP, then go listen to their music.
-Jacqie



Written by: Blake R.
Erinn Swan, lead singer, has a voice that is able to draw you in with fragile emotion, yet will jar your soul out of complacency with a powerful, incredibly catchy chorus (which are laced throughout the six song EP folks!). This four piece rock act comes from Brisbane, AUS with a ferocity that says "HEY! Here we are and were ready to melt your face off!!!"

Progressive Rock fans will devour this standout EP from Nina may who is relatively new to the music scene (forming in 2006). Rip-roaring guitars, brooding beats, and emotionally-driven lyrical delivery from Swan combine to create the distinct Nina may sound of "beautiful aggression". It is a sound that is hard to describe because it can change in an instant. The EP mixes an array of emotions which creates a musical melee unfolding a spectacle of hurt, brokenness, healing, setback, anger, sadness, and hope. In simpler words: the EP kicks ass.

My favorite track (hands down) off the EP, "Higher than You Do", is garnering much attention and winning instant Nina may fans. Driving bass lines carry along the esoteric and atmospheric guitar parts that provide the foundation over which Swan sings a very melodic "It's not right, not to fight, for your beliefs, but yours are breaking!¨ met with a repeat of the crushing chorus. This track is quite representative of the Nina may sound.

This debut showcases the powerful pipes of Swan and musicianship of the band members who make up Nina may. Songs like "The Feeling" and "Chills" (seriously, check out the fills in Chills) display drummer, Mr. Niks (apologies for lack of last name), knack for creating shredding drum rifts that add greatly to the charm of Nina may. Another aspect that I really enjoy on the EP are the intricate guitar parts played by guitarist Simon, that can be found on each and every track of the EP (very impressive). Standout tracks that display this are "Monsters in The Dark" and "Higher than You Do". Last but definitely not least are the complex and moody bass lines masterfully executed by bassist Brenton, which are most evident in tracks "Chills" and "It's Easy to Be Worst". The songs are honest and always offer gutsy, no holds barred lyrics. Their driving progressive rock sound will surely catapult them to the forefront of the Aussie music scene, and then maybe they'll make their way to the U.S.!

- The Pit Report (USA)


"Nina May"

Wanna know what the kids are going crazy about at the moment? Then say hello to Brisbane four-piece Nina May and their new song ‘The Feeling’, which I think may be the demo version of a track that will make it onto their EP which is coming out at some stage during the Year of the Pig.

Aside from amassing around 1000 times more friends on MySpace than I, at the point of writing this blog, Nina May were the top-rated band on Australia’s premier music website Faster Louder. Hell, they’ve even got a street team! Talk about a lot of l-o-v-e.

Though it doesn’t look like the troupe have toured much outside their home state of Queensland, no doubt with their burgeoning success you’ll see their name around your state fairly soon.
- Who The Bloody Hell Are They?


"Dead Letter Circus / Bushido / Nina May"

The Zoo - Fri Aug 24
Nina May is a local four-piece hard rock band with a twist: vocal duties are handled by the very capable Erinn Swan. Quite a few hands are raised when Swan questions the crowd about their sonic similarity to The Butterfly Effect, mine included, but no ill will is meant: their performance is impressive in its own right.
- ANDREW MCMILLEN Time Off Magazine


"INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK"

NINA MAY
Make Love To Your Stereo

"If the mark of a good song is that you can't get it out of your head, then Brissie act Nina May are onto a winner. Of course, it's not a repetitive, Avril Lavigne "hey, hey I wanna be your girlfriend" hollow number, there's actually some thought behind the band's debut EP, which houses six tracks that take the band's more aggressive influences - Deftones, Cog, The Butterfly Effect - and marries them with more pop-oriented influences, such as Paramore and Brand New.
Now, I'm a sucker for asassy girl fronting killer rock band, but let's make one thing clear: the positive feelings for Nina May (oh, and by the way the singer's name is Erinn, not Nina) are not just libidinous. This band have hte chops, the hooks, the riffs and the energy. Make Love To Your Stereo opens with two balls-to-the-wall rock tunes, "Higher Than You Do" and "Ugly Position" (which undeniably has the best riff on the cd), before they deftly move into 'Chills', a more meldoic, almost progressive number iwth Erinn producing notes that are so high they could shatter wine glasses.

The EP concludes with some more riotous rock songs, specifically the infectious "Monsters In The Dark" before finishing iwth the awesome "It's Easy To Be Worst," but I'm sure for Nina May, it's pretty easy for them to be this good.

Girls and guitars..Is there any better combo?

Jay Harris - THE BRAG Sydney Jay Harris


Discography

"Make Love To Your Stereo" June 2006
- "Ugly Position" - Triple J Radio 2006
"Crazy/Insane" - upcoming release

Photos

Bio

Nina May met in a QUT music room @ Kelvin Grove in Brisbane. In a classroom full of people who preferred not to wear shoes and flicked their dread locked beards up at anything but folk, they quickly formed a bond.
This is where the songwriting partnership between progressive rock fan Simon Budge-Bicknell and major melody and pop fan Erinn Swan, began. It is the clash between their influences that's put Nina May on the map.
"The point at which these two clash - is where it gets exciting - and where the songs come to fruition. I don't know any other band that can write like these two.." Matthew Jeffries Smile Or Die Music.

The band released their debut EP "Make Love To Your Stereo" in June 2006, and have toured it hard up and down the East Coast of Australia. The band have sold over 1000 copies. Pretty impressive for an unsigned, self-managed act.

Nina May have just recorded their debut single "Crazy/Insane" with Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Human Nature, The Butterfly Effect).

The band are currently working on their next release and look forward to taking it on tour through 2008.