CanadianWasteland Archives: Native Nod - Discography (1991-1995)

Native Nod was a pioneering hardcore band from Essex County, New Jersey who helped define the anxious, emotional, and driven hardcore music that would later be referred to as "emo". They were active from 1991 to around 1995, making them one of the earlier bands to perfect this sound. During the time they were active, they released a demo tape, three 7"s and later a compilation CD of all their tracks. They also appeared on numerous compilations.

Native Nod was one of the best at what they did, they popularized the use of spoken "vocals" which sound more like spoken word at times rather than lyrics, and blended it with desperately shirked choruses and tense, chaotic instrumentals including the use of a trombone. The quiet spoken parts in contrast with the loud aggressive parts of their songs make for an interesting contrast which many bands would go on to replicate. The lyrics to their songs are strange and are written somewhat like poetry which makes their music even more interesting. The use of any horns or wind instruments in hardcore music is always something I really love and Native Nod is one of the best examples along with French bands Ivich and Alcatraz.

Native Nod's songs are filled with such a sense of urgency and nervous energy that it is contagious to the listener. It's not hard to imagine why they were so influential in the hardcore scene, no one sounded like them back in the early 1990s. Their unique sound did become more popular throughout the decade and their influence is evident in many bands, however I'd say Native Nod really stills stands out as doing their own thing after all this time and that says a lot in itself.

If anyone has a demo tape rip we would love to hear it; however, the band members have requested for it not to be posted online.

We will not be hosting Native Nod's new Numero Group discography for copywrite reasons