A Nose for Sally spreads love with debut album Nosedive
It’s a rare thing for chemistry between bandmates to bleed through my speakers when listening to an album, let alone a debut from a college band of eighteen- to twenty- two-year-olds. But such is the case for A Nose for Sally and their richly imagined and joyfully engineered album Nosedive. Spanning twelve tracks at just under forty-five minutes, Nosedive is a romp through the wild imaginations of Boz, Kibs, Benny and Robot Levi, whose personas are celebrated throughout the album.
I’m lucky enough to have been involved in my alma mater’s music scene, and have laughed, danced, and talked music with many of its ridiculously creative and motivated musicians. Not long before the genesis of A Nose for Sally, I was introduced at a house party to the enigmatic Will Bozman, with little briefing other than his wicked talent for writing. Our little group congregated in the noisy garage, and there he recounted to me in painstaking, hilarious detail the plot of the Planet of the Apes trilogy for forty-five minutes. I left the smoky garage with an ache in my side from laughter. Talking to my boyfriend on the way out, I distinctly remember pointing out that “that guy is gonna be famous one day.” And when a few months later I saw Boz at the helm of one of A Nose for Sally’s first shows in hazy, dimly lit backyard, my premonition was only strengthened.
There’s something unspoken between the four band members – call it chemistry, a vibe, a common vision, a love – that permeates their music and live performances, and when their album Nosedive was announced, I wondered how the magic of their shows would translate onto the record. When their first single “Free” debuted, I listened and swayed and danced around my room to the pondering, upbeat ballad, taken by The Nose’s creativity and joyful delivery of thoughtfully articulated ideas. They had certainly captured the magic. Boz’s playful vocal performance starts out as bored and wistful, invoking the memory of standing around alone at a party, questioning my life and motives. But as we close in on the final chorus, he crescendos into a frenetic scream, bringing an electric energy that breaks down the walls that the song was confined to. It seemed to me that “Free” was a perfect introduction of A Nose for Sally to the world, carefully setting an expectation and then shattering it in the same minute. I couldn’t wait to see how else The Nose would defy my expectations with the album.
Four months and two more singles later, it was time for Nosedive to make its debut. The Nose’s community rallied around its release, celebrating it as a work of art before it even hit streaming platforms. This proved to me to be a testament to not only the supportive, tight-knit community of musicians The Nose belonged to, but to the charismatic band members themselves – how they are seemingly impossible not to love. Nosedive splashed into the world on Friday the 13th of September, and brought with it a distinct identity for the band – an identity that is rooted in boundary-pushing creativity and fun, one that is entirely their own and confidently so.
The album opens with “Love”, The Nose’s second single driven by lead guitarist Michael Kibiloski’s perfect tone and tight solos. Kibs shows his chops throughout the song while Boz follows the vocal precedent of “Free” by playing around with vibrato, distortion and quirky inflections (my personal favorite coming in the second line “I was so, fucked up, girl before I found you-oo-OW-uh”). “Love” sets the tone for a very un-serious album that prioritizes creative freedom and lets each song be whatever the hell it wants to be. “Danger For Another Time” introduces us to a second vocalist, Benny Flora, who keeps the busy, upbeat track grounded with solid and sweet vocal melodies. While Boz takes the back seat with vocals, his groovy bassline paired with tight, snappy drums could get any audience on their feet dancing.
The album continues to defy expectations and show off the range of The Nose’s tastes and talents. Accomplished jazz drummer and DIY venue owner “Robot” Levi Huvard hooks attention with a perfectly pocketed drum intro on “Not Sold”. We’re treated to a taste of country with delightful banjo solos on the reminiscent “Me and My Friends” and the hilarious “Little Sally”. Kibs brings a bossa nova swing to his vocal performance on “Divide”, perfectly paired with spacey, ambient guitars. And in the album’s hard-hitting finale, “Hollywood Girl,” the dueling vocals of Boz and Benny paint pictures of late-night LA reveries meeting interesting characters from around the world.
But what clearly best captures the magic of A Nose for Sally is the album’s penultimate track, “Bumper Cars”, my personal favorite. The members of the Nose interact and call each other out by name across the song, bringing personality and life to the music that transcends the boundaries most music is confined to. The music exists in a vibrant world that the band members invite you into, as their camaraderie and love for one another radiates from every note. Each member is given their moment, with their names called out like in the finale of a live performance – once again bridging the gap between recorded track and the original experience I fell in love with at The Nose’s live shows. While these moments make appearances on other tracks (“Kibsy, take ‘em to church!” on “Hollywood Girl”, a beautiful moment), “Bumper Cars” feels like a true celebration of each unique member and what they bring to the band.
In the album’s announcement post, the band writes, “This album was made by four best friends having too much fun so that you could have some of that fun too. We love playing these songs, we love you guys, and we love each other very much. Share in that LOVE!” There is truly no greater unifying factor for the album despite its genre-bending idiosyncrasies than this – the album was made with love. Love for the music, each other, and everyone who listens to it. A Nose for Sally has no interest in being anything other than their weird, freakishly talented and big-hearted selves, and this album radiates that pure authenticity in every ad-lib, guitar lick, drum beat and bassline.
Find the Nose on Instagram @anoseforsally
