During a huge binge of bullshit I own, there was a singular Maximum RocknRoll mag that I couldn’t recall having before that moment. Flipping through the pages I landed upon an interview of Erik Nervous by someone from Spodee Boy (it probably was Connor himself, but who can remember these details) where they asked Erik what makes him so ‘nervous’ and the answer was one of the most Erik Nervous of Erik Nervous answers he could have given. Apparently it’s a “gargle blaster-esque concoction” of various wordy anxieties tossed with a lot of fizzy caffeinated beverages. That’s what LP is. It’s a Douglas Adams referencing nerd-level world of anxiety and tension that can hype you up like a red bull.

Erik Nervous, aka Erik Hart, is kind of my hero. He started on a four track in the middle of nowhere, midwest landscape and has risen to some sort of modern-day neo-folk hero. His persona is nervous, sure, but it’s also honest and wholesome and content. I wish I could say that you always know what you’re going to get when you put on one of his records, but LP seems to get me eating my words, in a good way.

Aside from this being the first Nervous long-playing album in his discography, it’s also some of his most polished work. You get the classic midwest punk Devo influence, but there’s that new-new wave sound that’s been coming out of California and Saint Louis a bit here (think The World or Pineapple RnR), especially because Erik breaks out a tenor saxophone (and synth). There’s a lot more open space, too. Songs are given room to swell and build, giving many a leisurely feel that can be equated to something from Uranium Club. Some of Erik’s best work here is his erratic guitar style and added space that gives him room to really give a lick its due attention.

Don’t let me overlook the Beta Blockers either, Joe “Roldy” Varchola on bass and Jeff Mahannah on drums, both of whom really know how to compliment whatever Nervous throws at them. While Eric wrote solely wrote 9 of the 13 tracks, Varchola and Mahannah cowrote 3. Roldy wholly contributed “Richard”, the 4th track on the album. It’s a smooth sailing track, open and expansive. It’s the breath of air you take before you deep dive into the Marion Trench. Once you go under you find yourself engulfed in synth punk madness.

On a Reddit post the day of the LP release, a commenter replied that the following track ‘”Blasted Health” is the best use of synthesizer in the 21st century,’ and it’s hard to argue with that. This track is that classic driving song, the metaphor I always use for a good track. This synth jam is like those classic 8-bit car games you’d play at your cousin’s house on Thanksgiving; the one with the foot pedals and cheap steering column. It isn’t harsh like most modern synth punk, but it rather sits at the edge of classic synth pop, giving a nice homage to all synth that have come before.

The whole damn album is amazing, honestly. I’ve listened to it some many times since it’s release less than a week ago that, if it were a physical copy, I’d be worried about its condition. Luckily, the tapes won’t have wide release until March 15. Put me down for a copy.

And no, Erik, it’s not “all just a big countdown to the clearance bins”. More like a rabid timer to the classics section.