Nice As Fuck

Making her name as frontwoman of indie rockers Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis went on to craft retro, West Coast, Americana ballads on her solo albums and bounce about to sun-kissed, spiky pop as half of duo Jenny & Johnny. Her latest project feels like a fairly sharp departure from that script as NAF (Nice As F*#k) deal in minimalist bass lines, sparse synths and restrained drum patterns with Lewis's dreamy vocals adding wispy melodies. With Erika Forster of Au Revoir Simone and Tennessee Thomas of The Like making up the band, the three-piece made their first appearance at a rally for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2016 and went on to support M. Ward on tour. Their lo-fi, DIY feel and skeletal, hypnotic sound drew comparisons with post-punk acts like The Slits, Warpaint and ESG, and their self-titled debut album was described by Rolling Stone magazine as a "nine song meditation on Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way". There was a political edge, too, with the sombre, penultimate track Guns highlighting the violence and shootings in America and calling for a more peaceful, gentle society with the lyrics.