In The Whale's Nate & Eric promises a look at the seedier side of Colorado. Combining two EPs written by the duo, Nate & Eric is a brazen, unfiltered balls-to-the-wall rock record. On "Robert Johnson", a song about the eponymous jazz musician who purportedly made a deal with the devil, clattering feedback and wailing guitars are matched with cries of "Gonna burn/burn, burn, burn/sucker burn". "Wedding Bells" is a frantic little number that manages to create distance using nuanced vocal distortion.
All of the tracks are undeniably rock tunes, but segues are made into a variety of different arenas. "Grandpa Pete" is a blistering two minutes of punky growls with hints of garage blues, while "On A Roll" has a scat piano scale. "Girlfriend" is scrappy jock-rock made for high school halls, while chugging guitars are the main component of closer "Sunbeam", a guttural, sinewy track with a raw harshness that sits comfortably alongside the lyrics of "I killed a man in anger/Left him to die". A look at the seedier side of Colorado? Not quite. A rock album to play air guitar to? Absolutely.
