Track By Track: AW's Debut Album 'THE NERVE' - Touring Aotearoa in March

A pivotal figure in Aotearoa's 21st century scorched noise / post-punk landscape, Die! Die! Die! frontman Andrew Wilson's solo project AW's debut album THE NERVE extends his vision into personal and poetic new territory. While Die! Die! Die! are still very much an active unit, Wilson has assembled a cracker live band together for AW's first ever tour of Aotearoa, starting in just over a week. Recorded with Stefan Neville (Pumice) on drums and wearing his producer's hat, read Wilson's reflections on every single track on THE NERVE below, grab the vinyl LP edition at good record stores, and go catch AW kicking up a ruckus at the following dates...

AW - The Nerve Album Tour

Friday 13th March - MOON, Wellington
Saturday 14th March - Goblin Akl, Auckland
Friday 20th March - darkroom, Christchurch
Saturday 21st March - The Crown Hotel, Dunedin
Sunday 22nd March - venue to be announced, Dunedin
Saturday 28th March - Mesoverse, Hamilton
Sunday 29th March - Under the Tauranga Harbour Bridge, Tauranga

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

OLD BOY

This is a song about a close friend whose life changed after an accident, and the strange guilt of growing older while he stays suspended in time. I think Stefan’s drums are amazing on this song and I love the space it has. It also felt like the opposite of a Die! Die! Die! album opener.

THIEF OF JOY

THIEF OF JOY is about ego, comparison, and realising that doing AW (or a music project like this) was lonelier than I expected. My brain is a bit fu*ked at times. Stefan and I record all the AW stuff really quietly, using whatever gear is in his space, and I love how blown out this song sounds.

THE NERVE

I do a lot of walking around Ōrākei, especially Kupe Street, and THE NERVE came from dropping my son at kura while barking dogs and cars on the grass verges started to feel heavier than they should have. I was not in the clearest headspace after my operation a few years ago and it sometimes felt like Maungarei was watching everything happening on my street. Stefan wrote "The nerve of that wah" on the tape when we recorded it, because we did not know if the wah was terrible or a keeper. It became a running joke at practice with Kim and Morgan, and I have always struggled with naming albums, so in the end I just called it THE NERVE.

WATER THE VAMPIRES

WATER THE VAMPIRES was recorded on my phone during my son Awatea’s bath time, which is where most AW songs begin. I sent it to Stefan thinking we would turn the guitar riff into something else, but he said it was a keeper and we should leave it as it was. You will have to ask Awatea what the lyrics mean. I think they are the best on the album.

BOY (NO MORE)

BOY (NO MORE) was inspired by something David Kilgour once said in an interview about Peter Gutteridge "just walked through fire sometimes", and it became a song about burning bright, burning out, my mind as a boy bouncing off the Dunedin hills after church, and the slow loss of innocence.

TAKIWĀTANGA

TAKIWĀTANGA is not really a song, it is just me playing on my son Awatea’s keyboard. Takiwātanga translates into te reo Pākehā as being in your own time and space, which is something my son has taught me a lot about. I have always liked albums with little interludes like this. You can hear the TV in the background at the end. I thought this interlude would be a cool start to Side B of the record.

DECENT PREY

DECENT PREY is about the duality in all of us, the part that is searching for meaning and the part that can cause damage along the way. The decent can pray and prey. I will leave it at that shall I haha.

HATE GUITARS

HATE GUITARS has a sparseness which reminds me of Ōtepoti, Hereweka, the Otago Harbour, and those familiar song structures from there, which feels like the opposite of recording it late at night on Queen Street in downtown Tāmaki Makaurau. Bands I saw in Dunedin and Fugazi were pivotal in shaping how I think about guitars. I used to love guitars that did not sound like guitars, the less they sounded like guitars the more I liked them. The irony is this one is pretty conventional.

MOMENT

MOMENT sits in a pretty uncomfortable place. It nearly did not make the record. When I was putting this album together I went on a bit of a culling spree. I left off the songs from the two previous AW EPs and cut a few others to balance the sides. I thought about cutting this one too, but Stefan said he liked it. I have always respected his musical opinion, so I left it. If you do not like it, blame Stefan.

THE SAME

THE SAME was the last song I recorded for the record, and I really like it. It is about trying to keep things meaningful. When I started the AW project I set rules for myself so I could break them. I said I would not use pedals, or only use them sparingly, but a guy from Wettmar Electric in Naarm sent me one and I ended up using it all over the record, especially on this song. Running that pedal through a little Jansen TR25 combo amp is why the guitar sounds so fu*ked up and horrible in a good way.

Making this record has reinvigorated me and reminded me why I keep doing this. Keep it fun. Make music with your friends. Try to keep it pure. That is why I love working with tape and keeping things to a first or second take. It keeps it (me) honest. *cringe*

I’VE BEEN TRYING

I’VE BEEN TRYING is about getting things wrong and still trying. It is the last song on the album, so well done for getting through it all, it is not exactly easy listening. Stefan’s drumming on this is amazing. He is one of my favourite drummers. When I came up with the bass part I did not think it would turn into a song, and it has ended up being one of my favourites on the record. It is also one I really enjoy playing, which feels like a good way to end the record.