Ontario’s rock ‘n’ roll torchbearers The Dirty Nil have announced their fourth album, Free Rein to Passions (Dine Alone Records), coming out May 26, 2023. The LP is a return to form for the band, marking a more reckless approach. After experimenting with some smoother, more radio-friendly sounds on 2021’s Fuck Art, The Nil promptly returned to the studio and got back to the basics of what their band is about at its core—thrashy riffs, bashed-out drums, and levels-to-the-max volume. 

Today, the band shared the first single from the new album, “Nicer Guy.” The track will remind listeners that The Nil still wields the power to stitch a perfect, infectious pop hook into their rock fabric. “I’d been sitting on some of the guitar parts for a long time, husbanding them for a suitably righteous song,” Bentham explains. “In the depths of lockdown, I dusted them off and came up with the words. It was a happy day in an otherwise lonely time. Special shoutout to Kyle‘s extremely tight playing and Sam‘s stampeding elephant bass. Sincerity can feel uncomfortable, but this one feels right.”