Squeamish At The Sight Of Love - Nil by Habit
By Susie Long
Nil by Habit, a Brighton punk-infused group, released ‘Squeamish At The Sight Of Love’ as part of the EP Vol. 1 at the end of last year. Very clearly reminiscent of artists like Yard Act, Squid, or shame, they are catching the wave of modern experimental post-punk. Aligning with a genre that I have seen appropriately described as “windmill-core” (taking its name from the infamous punk haven of the Windmill Brixton), ‘Squeamish At The Sight Of Love’ is a thought-provoking new release from the band.
With a classically Joe Talbot-esque singing style, Brixton-tinged guitar tracks, rolling drums and sporadic additions of brass and percussive elements, ‘Squeamish At The Sight Of Love’ definitely has potential. Adding in synths, call-and-response and a prominent cowbell track, though, made it feel a little muddled to me.
All of the elements that make up this song, independently, display the making of a really great track. However, when combined, they result in a somewhat overwhelming listen. Of course, for an experimental track such as this, that may be precisely the point.
‘Squeamish At The Sight Of Love’ is a puzzling blend of genres and styles - one which I have really struggled to put my finger on. Initially, the cowbell and rhythmic bass pointed me more in the direction of funk and disco, before being snapped back to the world of anarchistic British post-punk.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of both genres and maybe my confusion just stems from the two not being combined very often. One thing is for sure, Nil by Habit is not letting their music be confined by the conventions of genre or tradition, and they are certainly breaking the mould.