It’s hard to find a review of Nitkowski that doesn’t mention Steve Albini’s post-rock outfit Shellac, so let’s get that out of the way early – they sound like Shellac. A lot, in places. However, Stay in the Home You Love proves they’re also a very talented bunch with their own ideas, demonstrating a maturity and patience in their approach to songwriting.

Complex rhythms and atonal melodies are meat and potatoes to Nitkowski, and you get the impression they’ve spent a lot of time in the rehearsal room crafting these songs. At times, they wander into Miles Davis territory, before returning to heavier shores with a larynx-shattering howl. For a three piece they create a big, multi-layered sound. Come to think of it they sound a bit like Akimbo as well – similar vocal delivery, a shared sense of foreboding and an unrelenting intensity.

The songs are sometimes nestled so deep in the band’s math-rock-jazzploration that it can feel a bit disorienting, leaving you struggling to find the thread of the song. So it might not be everyone’s hot beverage, but for fans of Fugazi, Akimbo and the ubiquitous Shellac, Nitkowski should be on the watch list.

The UK leg of their current tour appears to be done with, so best busy yourself with a listen to their first album, Chauffeurs, until they get round to distributing Stay in the Home You Love.

Words : Joseph McArthur Field.

Nitkowski Website. Facebook. Myspace.

About the author: Joseph writes for several publications, including his own Tumblr.