The pop punk quartet from Lyon have a really special formula for a catchy and deceptively deep debut LP!
There’s some fantastic, well crafted melodic punk coming out of France at the moment and Nick Heywood are the latest to land in my inbox and continue this trend of feeling like I’ve found a great new band to put on regular rotation.
Their album is called ‘ABAC‘ and although it is full of catchy riffs and infectious hooks and vocal harmonies that only the bounciest of pop punk can harbour, there are also some serious and topical statements within the 11 tracks including death, heartbreak, war and police brutality.
The band are influenced by the likes of NOFX and Bouncing Souls and they definitely have the pace of the former with the ear for nuanced melody of the latter.
What Nick Heywood do very well is giving each instrument a chance to show off a bit- there’s some very impressive bass work in pretty much every track particularly as the band like mid-song breakdowns that bring drums and bass to the forefront (check out the breakdown in opening track ‘Not So Alone‘ and ‘Beast of Sorrow‘).
The band tackle big lyrical themes in tracks such as ‘I Don’t Wanna Pray‘ which seems to speak to someone dear who has passed, their “head still in the clouds”.
‘All Cops Are Brutal‘ has the message you would expect from the title- it’s just over a minute and one of the harder tracks on the album, perhaps to reflect the subject matter that speaks of the brutality and lethality of those trusted to protect and serve: “I see them everywhere/Should I feel Safe?….They think they’re blameless/but they’re just brutal“.
My favourite track on ‘ABAC‘ is ‘Dirty Hands‘ – this track shows the strength of their songwriting and contains what seems to be a Nick Heywood staple of all singing together which gives a real uplifting energy injection into their songs, which I can imagine sound great live.
After 2 years looking for the perfect harmonies, the perfect riffs and the perfect speed, it was 2022 that the band prepared for the recording of ‘ABAC’, a celebration of their different punk influences.
Somewhere between melodic and skate punk, the four band members- Anthony on drums, Bouns and Yoann on guitar and Alexy on bass- offer up compositions featuring sharp guitars, a strolling bass and precise drums, all sung by 3 vocals that are as different as they are complementary.
‘ABAC‘ by Nick Heywood is out now. Get your streaming/purchasing options HERE.
Main Photo Credit: Cymbalkiller
- Not So Alone
- Dirty Hands
- I Don’t Wanna Pray
- All Cops Are Brutal
- Beast of Sorrow
- High on Medicine
- Phonecall
- Frogs In a Lake
- Bright Blue Circle
- Bullseye
- What I’m Here For
Follow Nick Heywood on Their Socials
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Equals What?, London Deptford Endeavour, 22nd August 2025
Headliners Equals What? are – to their eternal credit – an inclusive and gloriously riotous band. Inclusive, in the sense that their vocalist isn’t shy
Instigators, London Underworld, 16th Aug 2025
Every so often, we see a band that makes us wish we’d been born a good decade or so earlier. Last year, it was Midway
Live review: Fantazmaz at Trinity, Harrow, on 15th Aug 2025
A while back, I resolved to try to stop constantly comparing bands to my beloved Motörhead, but it has to be said that Lemmy and
Interview: Hannah chats with new Punk podcast creator Marie Austin-Harwood
You may know Marie Austin-Harwood from punk band Lost Cherrees, and as the other half of Rage DC’s Simon ‘Loric’ Harwood. She has recently created
Album review: Better Than The Book releases ‘Side Character In My Own Life’
Nick Standing AKA Jabun created a DIY ska punk/pop punk music project calling it Better Than The Book. His third full-length album ‘Side Character In
Review: Rebellion Festival 2025 – Day 4
Our final day at Rebellion Festival 2025, where we caught great sets from Grade 2, Bar Stool Preachers, The Bolokos, Bite Me Bambi and The
I’m Molly Tie- I Love punk! I play drums (badly), write a lot about punk (not as badly) and I’m particularly interested in issues relating to women in the music scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
