It’s difficult not to mention Tame Impala — who just happen to be the present-day poster children of pop-accented psych rock — when speaking of Tulsa rock trio Nuns, with both bands dizzily spinning in that intersection between seasoned technical merit and soulful, tasty songwriting. That’s neither a good thing nor a bad thing … or maybe it’s just a little bit of both. Good because there are few bands out there as singularly impressive as Tame Impala right now, and to at least enter that same conversation is notable. Bad because no one wants their music to exist in the context of another’s.
The fact that Hank Hanewinkel III helms Nuns the way Kevin Parker lords over the Perth, Australia-based project (and the similarly boyish vocals) does little to deter such comparisons. But with “Melanie Bryn,” there’s a sense of separation brewing, maintaining the kaleidoscopic charms of the songs heard on Nuns’ debut, Opportunities, while narrowing the scope to a very concise, readymade indie-rock playlist cornerstone. It’s no coincidence that the band has never sounded so compelling.
The new single is also the most openly infectious we’ve heard Nuns, finding Hanewinkel and his compatriots at a new level of comfort, or maybe just higher spirits in comparison to the more meditative LP. By all measures a loose and jangly jam, the single owes more than a little bit to garage glam. That and a touch of wholesome ’50s-radio rock, with a pristine vocal hook presented as the song’s center of gravity through its entirety. And it’s a good look — cool but disarming all the same, understanding that professionalism doesn’t necessarily have to preclude a sense of levity.
