Nightmare of You
Nightmare of You

Nightmare of You - Nightmare of You

What do At The Drive-In, Taking Back Sunday, and The Movielife all have in common? Other than releasing genre-defying albums, they’ve also have broken up and each have produced two new bands. At The Drive-In gave us The Mars Volta and Sparta, Taking Back Sunday gave us a new TBS and the John Nolan-led Straylight Run, and the Movielife spawned I Am The Avalanche and Nightmare Of You. While TBS and Sparta have tried to recreate their older sound, TMV and SLR have drifted away from their previous band’s sound and have gave us something more original and fresh. When The Movielife broke up, Vinnie Caruana formed I Am The Avalanche and guitarist Brandon Reilly formed Nightmare Of You. While IATA began where The Movielife left off, Nightmare Of You follows in the vein of Straylight Run; a mellow indie band that features more accomplished and mature songwriting than before. Reilly is the lyricist, vocalist, and guitarist for NOY, while the rest of the band is rounded out by guitarist Joe McCaffrey, bassist Ryan Heil (although he joined NOY after the album was recorded, Lader played bass on most of the album) and drummer Sammy Siegler. Produced by Jason Lader, Nightmare Of You offers 11 dark pop songs that burst with memorable melodies, sarcastic lyrics, and great emotion. 

“The Days Go By Oh So Slow,” an upbeat and melodic number that sets the pace of the album, puts on display Reilly’s fantastic voice. Reilly, who has never been a lead vocalist before, shines vocally throughout the album. “Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf” is a bouncy song with great backing harmonies. The rhythm section of Siegler and Lader really make this song stand out, while Reilly and McCaffrey give it an indie sound with their guitar work. “My Name Is Trouble” is a dark, dance tune that shows the versatility of the band. The song’s chorus is also very catchy and memorable. “I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard” a mid-paced song that features some very well written lyrics and beautiful harmony, and proves to be one of the stellar tracks on this album. “In The Bathroom Is Where I Want You” is a catchy, biting track that incorporates the synthesizer along with Reilly’s soaring vocals and the moody guitars. “Heaven Runs On Oil” closes out the album with a soft, intimate beginning that picks up with pleasant guitar work and a mellow beat from the bass and drums. Reilly again shines with his voice; it’s moody, melodic, and frantic throughout the album. McCaffrey, Lader, and Siegler all complement the vocals in every track very well with their excellent musicianship. 

Nightmare Of You is one of the best bands to debut in 2005. Their self-titled album is an album that entraps you with every word, melody, and beat of each track. This album is full of personality and is a breath of fresh air in a scene that rehashes the same idea and trend over and over again. Nightmare Of You will please the indie kids as well as fans of catchy pop music. Only a few albums surpass this effort in 2005, and you’ll see Nightmare Of You high on my end of year list. So don’t be late to this party and go pick up this album today.

This article was originally published on AbsolutePunk.net