When Dutch new wavers the
Nits released their self-titled debut album in 1978 on an independent label, no one would have predicted that they would become one of the most exciting bands in modern music. Signing to CBS and releasing their second album
Tent in 1979, the band took a huge step forward in dynamics, arrangement, imagination, and songwriting. Vocalist/keyboardist
Henk Hofstede, and guitarist/vocalist
Michiel Peters are distinctive talents, both working on different tangents, yet finding common musical ground. Imagine
XTC with a pinch of the
Residents, a slice of
Devo and two cups of
Beatles' chord changes, and then cook it in the inventiveness of early
10cc. Top-notch production by the band (with manager
Aad Link), and former
Supersister member (and future
Nit),
Robert Jan Stips make the songs come alive, and are as aurally exciting as the melodies themselves. For a band to go out on a limb and be experimental on one track ("Ping Pong"), then follow it up with a catchy single ("Tutti Ragazzi") makes for an interesting listen, to say the least. "The Young Reporter" recalls the
Attractions at their slickest. "Umbrella," "1:30" "Some Other Night," and "Out Of Suburbia" are thinly veiled (yet brilliantly executed)
Beatles rewrites. All in all, a sophomore release that makes the listener actually forget the debut, as good as it was!