“Not From Around Here”

new single marks the worldwide streaming debut of bass envy

Bass Envy is the new guitar-less project from New Jersey rocker Jack Skuller, and it approaches songwriting from the rhythm out. The sound is raw, bass-driven grooves for night crawlers. 

The new single “Not From Around Here” was entirely performed, recorded, produced and mixed by Skuller in his Trolley Valhalla studio, which has accumulated a nice collection of vintage recording equipment. He wrote the song while on tour through the American heartland, from a “fish-out-of-water” perspective. 

Though Jack has always cited his strongest influences as coming from blues and early rock n’ roll, the music that raised him was much less conventional. His father Eddie Skuller’s post-punk band MOOT, formed in the early 1980’s at Rutgers, frequently played CBGB’s and was part of the No Wave movement. The band rejected traditional rock instrumentation, abandoning the guitar and focusing on primitive drums, percussive noise, bass and hypnotic grooves. With Bass Envy, Jack merges the minimalism influence of MOOT and other bands of that period (like Bush Tetras, ESG, and Liquid Liquid) with his signature blues-driven riffs and Beatlesque hooks. The result lands Bass Envy in the realm of Beck, Morphine, and Tom Waits, but with a sound all its own.

The live show features Skuller on lead vocals, bass and harmonica, and Jesse Leonard (Acting Natural) on drums, found percussion and vocal harmonies.
“Analog, vintage, and cool… with a sincerity” ~ American Songwriter
“A skilled and engaging musician who’s here to stay” ~ The Big Takeover