"We've never really had a comfortable fit anywhere," says Dominic Palermo, singer of Philadelphia shoegaze outfit Nothing, about his band signing to traditionally metal-centric label Relapse Records. Relapse isn't actually that odd a choice for Nothing; towering distorted guitars, soaring falsettos and slamming percussion make debut full-length Guilty of Everything a surprisingly loud listen, but it's the pervasively gloomy atmosphere and weighty themes that make the album unmistakably heavy.
It's been a few years since Palermo spent two years in prison for an altercation in which he ended up stabbing somebody, but it was getting out that really made the last few years difficult. "I had family problems, and two of my closest childhood friends were killed. Everything started to really cave in on me when I came home. I didn't leave the house very often."
After a misspent year in Los Angeles — "It was the exact opposite of what I needed," he admits — Palermo moved back to his hometown, where he started working on music under the name Nothing and met guitarist Brandon Setta. The meeting was a turning point.
"When I met Brandon, within the first month, I was like 'Listen, this isn't my thing anymore, this is our thing.' I totally gave him half the stock of this shit, he's perfect for it. Plus, he's a miserable fucking sack of shit like I am, so that helps. Finally, we have a great drummer, a great bassist. It's gonna sit this way, I think, until the band's dead."
Although "the record's been recorded for almost a year," the release of Guilty of Everything marks a triumphant moment for Nothing. "We're not sick of it, which is good," states a relieved Palermo. "Usually by this point, I'd be fucking so sick and tired of it."
It's been a few years since Palermo spent two years in prison for an altercation in which he ended up stabbing somebody, but it was getting out that really made the last few years difficult. "I had family problems, and two of my closest childhood friends were killed. Everything started to really cave in on me when I came home. I didn't leave the house very often."
After a misspent year in Los Angeles — "It was the exact opposite of what I needed," he admits — Palermo moved back to his hometown, where he started working on music under the name Nothing and met guitarist Brandon Setta. The meeting was a turning point.
"When I met Brandon, within the first month, I was like 'Listen, this isn't my thing anymore, this is our thing.' I totally gave him half the stock of this shit, he's perfect for it. Plus, he's a miserable fucking sack of shit like I am, so that helps. Finally, we have a great drummer, a great bassist. It's gonna sit this way, I think, until the band's dead."
Although "the record's been recorded for almost a year," the release of Guilty of Everything marks a triumphant moment for Nothing. "We're not sick of it, which is good," states a relieved Palermo. "Usually by this point, I'd be fucking so sick and tired of it."