Saint Nick the Lesser's newest single, "God Bless," is certainly not your average alt-country track. This song isn't just straddling the line between satire and sincerity; it's kicking that line in the face with steel-toed boots and setting it on fire inside a church revival tent. "God Bless" is a bitter screed against authority overreach, gilded in hymnals and howls. Saint Nick the Lesser applies satire like a scalpel, cutting down the overweening shadow of government in your personal lives with a sneer, a wink, and a side of punk rock. But don't expect preachiness.
Taken from the forthcoming album 'Growing Up, Growing Out,' "God Bless" is a scorching mix of folk-punk anarchy and Southern Baptist revival spirit. If Saint Nick the Lesser had turned punk and interrupted a sermon in the middle of a bar fight, you'd be halfway to picturing the energy coursing through this tune. Recorded between sessions at Sivraj in North Hollywood, CA, the song bubbles over thanks to its organic feel: It stayed spontaneous enough that even last-minute tambourine bangs made the final cut and making this decision only enhances the liquid tension coursing through the song.
"God Bless" has a Southern revivalist vibe that is more than skin-deep; it's a sermon. Stomping rhythms, fervid vocals, and rowdy instrumentation amount to a musical, if not spiritual, exorcism shaking out frustration and righteous rebellion in equal measure. "God Bless" doesn't criticize but celebrates the messy, complicated freedom of everything being up for debate. Saint Nick the Lesser shows that punk doesn't have to be urban or mandatory: it has legs, cowboy boots, a tambourine, and hollers in tongues. "God Bless" is a musical barnburner and a doozy message piece for an artist unafraid to press buttons with a grin. Whether you're a country purist, a punk traditionalist, or just someone who likes it loud, down, and dirty, "God Bless" deserves a listen and possibly some soul-searching while you're at it.
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