The past year, Danish Instrumental Cinematic Rock ensemble Nake has been making waves on the Danish Rock scene and exciting audiences and press alike with two single predecessors and a few live performances. The band finally releases its self-titled debut album on vinyl and digital formats, and on January 27th, the band played a release show at Basement in Copenhagen alongside Emil Palme and Konur as special guests.
Nake states on the debut:
“Our self-titled debut album is NAKE’s first wordless tale of epic and nomadic journeys in search of the nakening and unifying spirit of music.”
Nake performs instrumental, Progressive music steeped in Cinematic grandeur. The band delivers a rhythmic complexity reminiscent of Tool, while other passages are lingering, closer to the noisy end of Post-Rock like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Throughout, the music is experienced as a soundtrack to a fictional film in the listener’s mind, due to the use of western-like guitar playing in the style of Morricone‘s scores, as well as themes played on analog synthesizers that bring the sci-fi soundtracks of the 80s to mind.
Nake’s self-titled debut album is recorded, produced and mixed by the band’s own keyboardist Poul Høi. He and the rest of the band have spent the countless hours that achieving their collective auditive vision required, and the result is a distinctive and innovative sounding album that accurately encapsulates both the intricate thematic grandeur and the primal heaviness of Nake.
The Cinematic theme expressed in the music is also reflected in Nake’s live performances – hand-painted ponchos, gloomy face paint and wide-brimmed hats, partly covering the musicians’ faces, give the audience a dramatic, almost theatrical experience. The visual universe is inspired by Americana, geometric Folk art and Occult rituals and also appears on the album artwork, created by guitarist Nicklas Kirchert.
Nake has performed live with bands and artists such as Bruit ≤, Solbrud, A Burial At Sea, Jonathan Hultén and Offermose. The band’s concert at Basement in Copenhagen on September 15, 2023 was reviewed and rated 5 out of 6 stars by Danish magazine GAFFA, who wrote:
“NAKE is like a jazz band on steroids that has created a love triangle between Tool, Ennio Morricone and Vangelis. The sound image is phenomenal, alluring and massive. In many ways, the best of two worlds that go together as undeniably well as jazz and metal can. And yet it has rarely been seen better. I think my jaw is still on the floor somewhere in Basement.”
Purchase the album on Bandcamp: https://nakeband.bandcamp.com/album/nake
Tracklist:
- Offering
- Weaver
- Traveler
- Initiation
- Morningred
- Arrival
- Cast
- Common
Lineup:
Nicklas Kirchert / Electric Guitar
Poul Høi / Synthesizer & Keyboards
Emil Winther / Electric Bass
Søren Høi / Drums