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Review in England's Rocksound Magazine by Sebastian Cheek

Spending the best part of five years apart has clearly worked wonders for hardened South African quintet Nude Girls, as their reinvention sees them at their most eclectic with 'Peace Breaker' - their first studio album since '01's indefinite hiatus.
The majority of tracks hang upon swirling 80's-inspired synths, and Arno Carstens' gigantic vocals that sound like they're booming out of Wembley's PA.
What shines through most, however, is the wealth of diversity. The pop-friendly, synth-laden 'Poor Boy' and the epically proportioned 'Illuminate' compete effortlessly with anything The Killers have put their name to, while rockier moments are aplenty in the throbbing rhythm of 'Gang Gang'. To season the mix, we're also treated to the tender balladry of 'Pack The Punches' and the sleazy, dance-flavoured 'Decadence'.

Brief History Of The Nude Girls

Formed in the wine-making town of Stellenbosch, South Africa, the Nude Girls burst onto the indie music scene in the mid-90’s championing an eclectic, energetic (and some have said), a gloriously naive approach to rock music that instantly struck a chord with the university crowd around their hometown. People were soon packing themselves into small taverna-like bars to catch the Nudies’ over-the-top performances.

During the subsequent few years spent 'roughing it' on SA's live music circuit, the band not only secured their place as the hottest rock ticket around, they also continued to develop their uniquely African take on rock n' roll...

Whilst the music that the Nude Girls create certainly gravitates towards the balls-to-the-wall ‘school of rock’, coming from such a culturally diverse country, it’s inevitable that the many micro-niches of the South African musical soundscape have crept onto the band's collective palate since their inception.

Standing seamlessly, shoulder to shoulder in the Nudies’ music, one can hear excitable snatches of punk, reggae, scat, metal (and not “hair-metal”, REAL METAL), funk, jazz and psychedelica. All played with some real African-esque punch.

Although, traditionally, scatting ‘whities’ are greeted by critics about as warmly a swift kick in the nuts – in this instance vocalist Arno Carstens’s fizzing calamity of rapid pidgin-English and an array of surreal vocal effects make for a enthralling sight live, and exhilarating listening on record.

“…this band do not bore, due mostly to Carstens’s multi-layered voice. Live they are louder still” – Rolling Stone

Making unabashed use of vintage keyboard effects and liberally blasting out funked-up trumpet hooks (both courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Adriaan Brand) has imbued the bands sound with some real, unmistakable character – which means whether they’re playing faux reggae-dub or thrashing out an all-out rocker, it’s always unmistakeably the Nude Girls.

The backbone of any great band is a solid rhythm section, and drummer Francious Kruger and bassist Arno Blumer kindly oblige. Their in-the-pocket grooves have kept the Nudies bringing down the house wherever they play since the band first confused punters by simply not being the expected procession of scantily clad strippers!

Finally, serving as the Nudies’ sonic anchor is SA’s own guitar hero Theo Crous. His killer hooks and ‘like daggers’ sound have ensured that the band have continually enticed, yet defied the custodial gate-keepers of radio playlists…

PEACE BREAKER - UK SPECIAL EDITION

This is the second Nude Girls record to receive an extensive release in the UK. It also happens to be the first new material the band have committed to tape since their recent reformation.

The Nudies' time apart has ostensibly afforded them the opportunity to develop as individual artists and as song writers. The resultant body of work speaks of a band whose members now have an array of unique experiences to draw upon in their contributions to this new sound.

Whilst the abandon that has always characterised the Nude Girls' canon is still firmly in the forefront (check out 'Does It Look Like A Tango?' & 'Looking For Master'), there's now an asserted ability to produce some perfectly formed rock gems. Cut-fat, to-the-point, instant classics, such as 'Illuminate' and 'Fallen' are evidence of this. Certainly, there's a new pop-sensibility that can rival anything The Killers or Maximo Park (etc.) can produce.

Crowd-pleasers and radio-friendly tracks are all very well, but big, bold, dirty rock n' roll has always been an integral part of this band's DNA. Risky tracks such as 'Gang Gang' and 'Looking For Master' lay it down hard, and the message is made clear... this band is 'totally committed' (in-joke) to ensnaring some new fans, but they're equally in it for themselves.

The UK special edition of Peace Breaker will contain 2 extra bonus tracks (brand new song 'Decadence' as well as an updated version of their perrennial hit 'Bubblegum On My Boots', here renamed 'Bubblegum On My Boots Today' to avoid confusion with the original version). Those who've seen the South African version of Peace Breaker will also note that this version features all-new artwork, too.

Full Tracklisting:

1. The Road
2. Poor Boy
3. Illuminate
4. Fallen
5. Gang Gang
6. Peace Breaker
7. Pack The Punches
8. 1 More Time
9. Bubblegum On My Boots Today*
10. Decadence*
11. Looking For Master
12. Does It Look Like A Tango?
13. Kill Them For The Country
14. Wolfmen

(*=UK-only bonus track)

'NUDE GIRLS' - THE ALBUM

This is the first record by the Nude Girls to receive an extensive release in the UK. Although long time fans of the Nudies will have heard many of these tracks before (in fact, many fan favourites are included here), this record is more specifically aimed at those that have never heard the band’s music before. In a sense, it’s an international introduction to the band, and as such, all the tracks have been remixed and remastered so as to best exhibit the music in all its wildfire glory.

The all new artwork is in keeping with the band’s tendency to keep its’ collective tongue firmly in-cheek. It’s a friendly poke at the sanctity of the ‘axe’ in rock music, as represented on the covers of countless rock compilation albums featuring the usual icons of the hard rock panthenon… what the broken glass and fairy lights have to do with anything, we’ve no idea!