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If you\u2019ve been paying close attention to the UK rock press in recent weeks, then Nervus<\/b> is a name you\u2019ll be familiar with. Spurred on with tours alongside names such as Creeper and signing with respected independent Big Scary Monsters, the quartet has seen their status grow over the past 12 months. However, they\u2019re far from quitting their day jobs. Away from the occasional tour and recording their second album, \u2018Everything Dies\u2019<\/i>, Nervus<\/b> have kept themselves busy to the point where they haven\u2019t noticed the attention they\u2019ve been receiving.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s weird. To be honest, I don\u2019t necessarily notice it,\u201d<\/i> says frontwoman Em Foster on a snowy Thursday evening. \u201cWe don\u2019t necessarily pay too much attention to people\u2019s reaction because it\u2019s so changeable. It can be damaging to a band to pay too much credence to people\u2019s reactions.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re at a point where we\u2019re not doing much more than when we did ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019 but there\u2019s a lot more expected of us, so that\u2019s a difficult element of it. You\u2019re expected to be able to do more [but] there\u2019s not more money for it, so you\u2019re giving it more time.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The aforementioned ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019<\/i>, Nervus<\/b>\u2019 2016 debut record, was never meant to be. Written by Foster as a way to cope with alcohol addiction and gender dysphoria. The cathartic bedroom project would eventually turn into what would become Nervus<\/b>. Although ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019<\/i> wasn\u2019t released to a huge fanfare in November of 2016, its mix of infectious hooks and confessional lyrics gradually gained momentum, leading to high hopes for its follow-up.<\/p>\n
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While they have been given \u201cmore time\u201d, Foster is eager yet frustrated with the lead up to the release of ‘Everything Dies\u2019<\/i>. \u201cWhen you make music, you\u2019re always waiting to put it out there, so it\u2019s not yours anymore, but at the same time, making something and then sitting on it can be quite frustrating. However, it\u2019s been a fun process.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
On the surface, ‘Everything Dies\u2019<\/i> serves as a direct sequel to ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019<\/i>, but when you delve into its lyrical content, it soon becomes apparent that Foster has grown as a person and as a lyricist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely felt more confident in terms of being able to say not exactly what I mean, otherwise it makes it too diaristic and personal then other people can\u2019t relate. I was able to be a bit more clear-cut, and not having to play things down that I felt I had to do on the last record.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
While last time out Foster\u2019s songs took an inward approach as she experienced gender dysphoria, ‘Everything Dies\u2019<\/i> sees her accepting herself as a person and questioning society\u2019s stance towards trans people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much more direct in the things I\u2019m addressing in the songs,\u201d<\/i> explains Em. \u201cI\u2019m not cloaking absolutely everything in metaphor, there\u2019s still a fair amount of that, but it\u2019s a lot angrier. ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019 was very vulnerable, and on this record, I\u2019m still vulnerable but also quite angry and direct.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Though ‘Everything Dies\u2019<\/i> is more direct, even at times confrontational, and while it has been well-documented about the personal nature of songs such as ‘Congratulations\u2019<\/i> and ‘Sick Sad World\u2019<\/i>, Foster believes their meanings can be moulded to listener\u2019s own understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everything is open to interpretation, which is when I get asked to talk about what the songs about, I don\u2019t necessarily want to talk about them in too much detail,\u201d<\/i> says Foster. \u201cI think of all my favourite songs, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re about but they\u2019re able to change shape with you. As you get older and you listen to music, you want them to mean something to you. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSome of our songs have changed shape in what they mean to me and have taken new meanings. There\u2019s definitely room for people to make them their own, and I think that\u2019s massively important in any music that is worth listening to.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
In spite of their ability to be interpreted, it is Foster\u2019s experiences that is the catalyst for the songs Nervus<\/b> produce. Having come out as a trans woman on ‘Permanent Rainbow\u2019<\/i>, ‘Everything Dies\u2019<\/i> documents her experiences since. Unfortunately, there are parts of modern society that remains uncomfortable with the concept of transgender people. On ‘Congratulations\u2019<\/i>, Em sings \u201cThey fill your head with guilt and shame,\u201d<\/i> as she highlights distressing reaction she has been on the receiving end of. Whereas on ‘Skin\u2019<\/i>, she states \u201cIf you\u2019re feeling uncomfortable, that\u2019s common ground.\u201d<\/i> Yet on songs such as ‘It Follows\u2019<\/i>, ‘The Way Back\u2019<\/i> and ‘Fall Back\u2019<\/i>, Foster gives the impression that she accepted herself.<\/p>\n