Nick Campbell Destroys: Lo-fi Bass Music for Quarantine

Nick Campbell Destroys
Lo-fi Bass Music for Quarantine
(Nick Campbell Destroys)

Nick Campbell Destroys addresses our little worldwide COVID-19 hiccup on his new 3-song EP Lo-fi Bass Music for Quarantine. A well-respected electric bassist, Campbell found his live music-making as well as his in-studio work curtailed in the quarantine. Here he offers a trio of tunes composed and recorded, mainly in his bedroom.

Campbell’s bass riffs gets us into the soft sweeping groove of opener “Central Park West.” A tight high little noodle-y lead plays over the top of sweeping strings with occasional atmospheric key washes flying by. It’s a soft quick tune to get us into what follows.

“Along Came Betty,” the best song here for me of the three, is wild prog-jazz wailing. With Chaun Horton blasting through with his hard snapping loud drumming and Campbell providing a wild riff and lead bass playing all over, this one soars along with wild abandon. At about the 2:30 mark, Campbell slows the proceedings down, the high-end cartoony sounding leading stops, and we get some spoken word, way-back-in-the-mix “who hoo’s,” and Horton and Campbell lay down a solid rhythm. A keyboard lead works in; then, we get to just twinkly guitar sounds to end the whole crazy concoction.

“Goodbye Moonmen” is the single, if there is one on Lo-fi Bass Music for Quarantine. Michael Mayo provides sweet lead vocals while Campbell provides doubled bass slides. The harmonies on this one reach near Beach-Boy standards, proving the perfect ender to a rather perfect EP.