Introducing: NIHILIST

Imagine if Nirvana and Soft Play had a twisted lovechild raised on zero-hour contracts, late-night existential dread, and the crushing weight of modern life. That’s NIHILIST—a feral, emotionally unhinged force of nature delivering sardonic truth bombs over face-melting riffs.

Formed by three outcasts with something to scream about, NIHILIST aren’t here to play nice. They’re here to rip the roof off your local dive bar, spit venom at apathy, and soundtrack the disillusionment of a generation teetering on the edge. With a die-hard cult following willing to travel miles just to thrash in the front row, and a debut EP ‘Registered Unperson’ (out Jan 9th 2025) already turning heads, this trio are set to turn every gig into a warzone.

Their “Year of Madness” tour is underway—expect guerrilla shows, zero-budget DIY videos that punch well above their weight, and merch that won’t bankrupt you. NIHILIST don’t just play songs—they unleash unfiltered catharsis.

We caught up with them mid-meltdown to talk misfit beginnings, weaponised sarcasm, and what it means to be an unperson in a world on fire.

Your music is described as a “cathartic discourse for today’s youth.” What themes or emotions do you hope to channel in your songs, and what do you want listeners to take away from them?

There is so much blindness and ignorance around politics, religion, money, class and people around the world. We’re just saying what our fans are thinking. There’s so much toxicity that being silent should never be an option.

Your live shows have gained a reputation for their anarchic energy and raw intensity. What’s the wildest thing that has happened at one of your gigs so far?

Definitely the EP Launch for ‘Registered Unperson’. People were hanging from the ceiling, invading the stage, crowd surfing, losing their minds to the songs. If you’ve never been picked up and thrown round a small venue whilst playing live, you’re missing out and you should write better songs. But there’s others, people swaying to the most extreme songs in a trance? Didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Also Bryce accidentally throwing a drumstick at his mum.

You’ve stuck to a DIY ethos with everything from your music videos to your merch. How important is this independence to the identity of Nihilist, and do you see yourselves ever stepping away from that approach?

It means everything. We have bleach printed shirts so each is unique (and affordable) as well having the highest quality and cheapest printed shirts at any show we play. We make our own music videos to show that you don’t need to spend hundreds on a production company and still come out with something that’s entertaining. We’d rather play a independent venue three night sell out than ever charge dynamic pricing. Bryce also works at an independent venue and his workmates would kill him if he ever sold out. It all feeds into showing people that they can do this too.

With ‘Registered Unperson’ dropping in 2025 and the “Year of Madness” tour, what can fans expect from this next chapter of Nihilist?

More. More songs, more shows and a whole lot more chaos.

Your music seems to carry a lot of frustration and emotion. What personal or societal influences drive your songwriting the most?

Look out of your window, take 5 minutes to read a social media wall. It’s easy to write these songs because to be incensed by the parasites who rule our world; is how things will change. A lot of the time, our songs come from being confused and frustrated. I can safely say, we don’t want to be The 1975 or Imagine Dragons. People who shout a lot but say nothing.