Namen Namen - S/T

Today, Namen Namen is sharing their debut self-titled EP. Since March 2020, the group has developed a devoted Midwest following through frenetic live shows and early releases. The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based quartet definitely wears their influences on their sleeves on this six-song collection, channeling the spirit of midwest proto-punk and garage rock legends like The Stooges and the MC5 for a wild ride of tasty hooks and buzzing guitars. 

Namen Namen seems to enjoy a good sonic narrative, as musically, the EP flows like a good story with clear peaks and valleys. The band reaches escape velocity early on, pummeling through the first song, “The Horrors of Spider Island,” with an unhinged passion. Fast, tight, and riffy, they flex their guitar muscles for all to see, ripping through a grimy riff at the halfway mark, which is let loose by a banshee-like shriek. You’ll definitely have to catch your breath after this rip-roaring introduction, so the band takes it down a few notches on the more reflective “So Alone,” only to increase the guitar firepower again on the gloomier “Dracula AD.” Like a good roller coaster, Namen Namen slowly builds up to the EP’s raucous conclusion with the down-tempo, more psychedelic sounding “Mona,” a track that shows their sweeter, more melodic side. The energy levels shoot through the roof after that, though, as they breeze through the final two tracks, “The One I Love The Most” and “2021,” sprinkling in heaps of delectable riffs and ending things with an exclamation point of screams, cymbal crashes, and a guitar breakdown for the ages.

Stream the EP below!

For more information on Namen Namen, check out their website. You can also keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.

Namen Namen will be celebrating the EP’s release tonight at The Brass Rail in their hometown of Fort Wayne. Tomorrow, they’ll be playing at Trixie’s in Detroit.