Nihilist Blues

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"Nihilist Blues"
Single by Bring Me the Horizon featuring Grimes
from the album Amo
Released24 January 2019 (2019-01-24)
Genre
Length5:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Oliver Sykes
  • Jordan Fish
Bring Me the Horizon singles chronology
"Mother Tongue"
(2019) 		"Nihilist Blues"
(2019) 		"Sugar Honey Ice & Tea"
(2019)
Grimes singles chronology
"We Appreciate Power"
(2018) 		"Nihilist Blues"
(2019) 		"Pretty Dark"
(2019)
Music video
"Nihilist Blues" on YouTube

"Nihilist Blues" (stylised in all lowercase) is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon featuring Canadian singer Grimes.[1] Produced by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it is featured on the group's 2019 sixth studio album Amo. The track was released as the fifth single from the album on 24 January 2019. Evanescence have a songwriting credit, as it lifts vocal melodies from "Never Go Back".[2][3][4]

Composition and lyrics

"Nihilist Blues" has been described as a synth-pop,[5][6][7] electronic rock,[8] electropop,[6] and trance song.[9] The song talks principally about nihilism, focusing on the meaninglessness of life, existential crises and pessimism.[10] According to an interview from Impericon, the song is Oliver Sykes' personal favourite one.[11] Musically, "Nihilist Blues" sets inspiration from old disco and EDM songs. Fish commented about the collaboration:

"This is an example of us really going for it on this record. It's like this dark rave song or something—it's absolutely mental, and it might be my favourite on the whole album. I'm sure people will hear it and go, "What the fuck?" but whatever. It's very different in sound for us. We're big fans of Grimes and she loved the song. She actually sent it back with all these added elements which we weren't expecting, but she's super-creative and she'd completely gone to town on it. That elevated the song to a whole new level. She's someone we respect, and not really someone you'd expect to find working with a metal band. Or a rock band. Or whatever it is we are..."[12]

Music video

The music video for "Nihilist Blues" was released on the same day the single was streamed. AltPress described it as "a glitchy new way forward" for the band.[13]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[14]

Bring Me the Horizon

Additional musicians

  • Grimes – vocals
  • Madilyn Eve Cutter – cello
  • Gavin Kibble – cello
  • Rachael Lander – cello
  • Max Ruisi – cello
  • Choir Noir – choir vocals
  • Jessica Price – double bass
  • Lewis Reed – double bass
  • Alexander Verster – double bass
  • Oliver Hickie – French horn
  • Simon Dobson – strings, trumpet
  • Parallax Orchestra – strings
  • Ross Anderson – trombone
  • Jane Salmon – trombone
  • Victoria Rule – trumpet
  • Anisa Arslanagic – viola
  • Mark Gibbs – viola
  • Benjamin Kaminski – viola

Additional personnel

  • Dan Lancaster – mixing
  • Rhys May – mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Roman Dodangoda – engineering
  • Peter Miles – engineering
  • Robbie Nelson – engineering
  • Alejandro Baima – assistant engineering
  • Francesco Cameli – assistant engineering
  • Daniel Morris – assistant engineering
  • Conor Panayi – assistant engineering

Charts

Chart performance for "Nihilist Blues"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[15] 29
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 77
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[17] 5
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] 45

References

  1. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon release new song 'Nihilist Blues' with pop singer Grimes". Loudwire. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Ripped Off These Artists for 'amo'". Kill The Music. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. ^ Trendell, Andrew (30 October 2020). "Bring Me The Horizon got sued by Evanescence, but Amy Lee was a fan so they worked together". NME. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Evanescence's Amy Lee shares the "powerful and cool" true story of her Bring Me The Horizon writing credit". NME. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon - amo". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Bring Me The Horizon's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Track By Track Review: Bring Me The Horizon - Amo - Gigwise". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  8. ^ Reed, Ryan (24 January 2019). "Grimes Brings Ghostly Edge to Bring Me the Horizon's Song 'Nihilist Blues'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Amo". Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019 – via PressReader.
  10. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon – nihilist blues Lyrics". Genius.com. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Talking About Their Upcoming Album Amo (Interview)". YouTube. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Talk Us Through Every Track On Forthcoming Album Amo". Kerrang!. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Hear Bring Me The Horizon's dancey new song with Grimes". AltPress. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Credits / amo / Bring Me the Horizon". Tidal. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  15. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
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