Nymb’s backstory is nearly as remarkable as the recent commonality of such a specific narrative: cult alt-rock band finds a massive new audience 25 years after they broke up and moved on with their lives, thanks to a younger generation spreading the word across TikTok and other platforms. Formed in the Chicago suburbs over three decades ago, the trio of Elaine Bradley, Jamie Zoeller, and Ben Kane nurtured a sound that straddled the line between the waxing Midwest-emo movement and the waning shoegaze scene, with figures like fellow Illinoisans Hum helping to pave the way for their niche.
Yet by 2001 and the release of their only two LPs, the band called it quits, with frontwoman Bradley ultimately finding fame a decade later as the drummer and backing vocalist for pop-rock hitmakers Neon Trees. In honor of their newfound audience, though, Forge Again Records helped Nymb repackage their two-album discography with a slew of loose material for a reissue campaign instigated by young fans who were struggling to track down vinyl copies of their records. Last week’s re-release of So, This Is How It Is and Nothing New...—along with the newly compiled Cutting Teeth: 1997-1999 collection—serves as the perfect excuse to spotlight the band’s work and the influence it had on their peers back in the late ’90s and on curious listeners today.
Given all of that, we asked Bradley, Zoeller, and Kane to share a few of their biggest influences from their brief run at the tail end of the 20th century, as well as to list some of their more recent faves. Check out their reissued material here, and read on for all of their picks.
EARLY INFLUENCES
Hum, “Little Dipper”
Jamie: This is the first song on You’d Prefer an Astronaut. It hits you with a wall of sound right from the first chord and really sets a tone for the whole record. I believe we modeled Rope + Ring after this song.
Fugazi, “Break”
Elaine: I love the energy and musicianship of this opening track. [End Hits] is an album I would often choose in the van when it was my turn to drive. We all loved the grit and DIY energy of Fugazi.
The Smashing Pumpkins, “Soma”
Ben: The use of ghost notes and other intricacies on “Soma” greatly influenced me in the quieter moments of Nymb's music. The quiet parts of Rope + Ring are very SP/Jimmy Chamberlin.
Smoking Popes, “Need You Around”
Elaine: Smoking Popes were a local band that took it to the next level. Hearing this song on the radio gave me the hope that we could do it and get somewhere. Also, this song is rock and pop and a little punk in the best way.
Slowdive, “When the Sun Hits”
Jamie: Atmospheric. Beautiful. This song has it all: the soft/loud dynamics, delay-affected guitars. It’s spatial and perfect.
Rainer Maria, “I Love You, Too”
Jamie: Early RM. I was very influenced by Kaia [Fischer]’s squealing guitar sounds and tried to master this technique myself. I bought the MXR Distortion+ pedal because that’s what Kaia used.
Sidekick Kato, “1st Class Chump”
Elaine: This was another local band we looked up to as we were cutting our teeth in high school. This is beautiful, raw, tender, angry, soft, loud—I loved the full range of sound and emotion of Sidekick Kato.
Sunny Day Real Estate, “Theo B”
Ben: This song has all of the stop/start drums that I’ve always loved to incorporate. Switching between the hi hat and the ride mid verse is classic William Goldsmith that I must have used a thousand times in Nymb’s catalog. Not to mention the changes to half-time feel. This song in particular shows that emo can still have a groove to it.
Duster, “Heading for the Door”
Elaine: I loved this whole album [Stratosphere] from the moment I heard it. There was a lo-fi emotionality to it. I chose this song because it’s the first one I heard off of the album, but the whole album was a soundtrack to the time period where Nymb was creating our sound/records. I can’t say I wanted to recreate the lo-fi nature, but I loved the heavy tones and soft/loud instrumentality.
Tori Amos, “Tear in Your Hand”
Elaine: Tori Amos wasn’t so much a musical influence on Nymb, but was a huge vocal/lyrical influence on me. She could belt, hit high falsetto and low notes, and be scathing, candid, and vulnerable. It gave me courage to say things lyrically that I might have couched more without her influence.
CURRENT FAVES
Del Water Gap, “Beach House”
Elaine: I love this whole album [I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet), but “Beach House” is lyrically and musically so raw and insistent. It takes me places.
Mastodon, “The Vanishing”
Ben: I’ve always been a metal guy and this new album just checks all the boxes for me. Phenomenal drumming, phenomenal groove and feeling. Heavy as fuck, but also lush and beautiful. All the same things that I love about Hum, actually.
Pulp, “Spike Island”
Jamie: I believe that Pulp was the best of the Britpop bands of the 1990s. The album More was their first release in a quarter of a century, and they really just picked up where they left off.
