The new album Trust Your Instincts expands upon Nick s obsession with the three-minute pop song, successfully displayed in his last two solo releases, 2013 s 13 in My Head and 2015 s Beyond the Static . Both of those albums found their way on many year end best of lists, and this year s model is sure to do the same. Lyrically, Nick digs a little deeper with his most personal record to date, while still maintaining the energetic riffs and hooks that define his sound.
This is Nick s first release on New Jersey s Jem Records, produced by Geoff Michael at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor, MI. Ten songs, created at the kitchen table, were brought to life by Donny Brown on drums (The Verve Pipe), Andy Reed on bass (The Legal Matters), and Ryan Allen on guitar and backing vocals (Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms, Friendly Foes). Special guests David Feeny (pedal steel) and Rachael Davis (vocals) round out this extremely talented pool. With few guidelines, everyone had free reign to shape each song and add their own unique spin.
Along with two albums from The Respectables, Nick s songs have appeared in both film and network television. MOJO Magazine s CD, Songs in the Key of Paul , featured Nick along with other artists (Redd Kross, Chris Stamey, Yo La Tengo, Flamin Groovies, Squeeze, Cotton Mather, etc.) that were, of course, influenced by Sir Paul McCartney.