Your Best Nightmare Releases New Album: A Simple Solution for Toxic Masculinity

I am so stoked to dig into A Simple Solution for Toxic Masculinity by Your Best Nightmare, and I’m even more stoked to catch them live at the Fuzebox in Albany on April 3rd!

I reviewed the first track, “Promising Young Woman,” off this dope album back in December, and now that I’m listening to it again, I’m loving it even more. The song has all the overtones and sounds of what I might hear in a horror punk or psychobilly song but through a ukulele, the horror thou is less one of monsters and demons in the dark. In this instance the horror is the one felt by the patriarchy that hides under their beds rather than confront a woman who doesn’t try to fit into their rules and expectations.

The second track, “Joan of Arc” continues to throwdown against the patriarchy as they dare all the ops against them to go ahead and burn them at the fucking stake like Joan of Arc. Your Best Nightmare doesn’t play by the rules lyrically nor musically as this song like the others presents ukulele music in a way that I would never have imagined.

In case you haven’t gotten the point, the third song, “Don’t Mess with Me” lays it out for you: “Don’t fucking mess with me, unless you want to be another casualty” with some dope whoahs in between the two phrases sums up the theme of this song. I have to say I really love those hand claps. When they sing about bodily autonomy and their right to choose they say it plain and simple: “You don’t get to tell me what to do unless you want a knife in you.” To which I say: Fuck yeah!

Coming in 4th: “Vampire Lover” - I can’t be the only person that thinks this would have been a rad song to hear during a scene of True Blood. Not only doe they ask if the lover is worth killing for, they offers up the whole fucking town: “I’d murder the town if that’s what you’d prefer”. It’s sung in such a pleasant way that you almost miss the malevolence of it. Almost.

“Target Acquired” is the 5th song, and I’m loving this just as much as the ones before. It might sound simply like a song about shooting someone, but the goal is to “ruin you” which could mean a destruction of life that goes beyond just simple death. When I hear “When our eyes locked, you are shocked”, I’m picturing some sort of arrogant assclown of a man who just assumes he has all the power in whatever their relationship is, and when he finally sees that he’s the one without the power, he’s utterly freaked.

“Really Cute” - Digging the danceable drum rhythm at the start. Oh damn. I love this song! So many great lyrics: “Talk down to me baby, that’s just how I like it” “Make me feel worthless compared to you cause that’s just really cute” How much do you enjoy listening to your partner argue with the waiter about their fucking salad or how shitty their IPA is while also being talked over and told that your opinion is shit? If you’ve been there and done that, then this is the song for you. If you’re the assclown, then this song's for you too–listen well and then knock that shit off. These are lyrics that are delivered with the same happy singable melodies that Dancehall Crashers did on albums like Lockjaw. 

“Eyeliner” - This sounds like the sequel to “Really Cute” where the singer finally takes that revenge by slapping that smug smile off their face. The singer is no longer daydreaming about killing their partner, as mentioned in the previous track, they’ve shown what they’re capable of i.e. murder most foul!

“LBD” - The line “My eyes are bone dry as they embalm your body, you can’t expect me to cry for you, I have no sympathy” is only partly the truth. From from just having no sympathy, they are fucking happy. In fact, they sing ““I’m happy that you’ll fucking rot” with all these great harmonies and melodies around it and the sheer happiness that they feel is both chilling and comforting.

“Bodycount” - I am so in love with this doo wop sounding backing vocals that occur as they sing about doing horrible things to people that deserve horrible things to be done to them. Why does this remind me of The Little Shop of Horrors?

“Paint the Town Red” - The classic song about being a misfit in a world full of normals. Have you ever felt like an outsider but had that one person that you could enjoy the world with? That one person that got you? This song is for that person. This is for you and everyone else that knows that one good friend that gets you is better than the dozens you interact with weekly who don’t really get you.

“Ghost Town Love” - A love song for fans of movies like True Romance or Bram Stoker's Dracula. Once again the chorus just kills! The verse is interesting, but when the chorus kicks in, it just hooks you. 

Check out the album on Bandcamp and buy the digital album (VINYL COMING SOON!):

Check out the songs on their Spotify or on my (Folk) punk playlist

After you’re done checking out the song, check out their IG and find a show and get your ass out there.

Also check out their Linktree for all their other socials and shit

Need a song or album reviewed? Contact me using the link below (Keep in mind, I only review bands I actually like; you can go elsewhere for insincere or negative reviews.) https://app.musosoup.com/submit/DCxPCLive

Want to mail a vinyl for review? Message me at dcpcbooking@gmail.com for the address

No tapes and no CDs, I can’t play either of them.