For a band as obscure as RANT., a Belgian outfit that have under a thousand listeners on Spotify, it’s remarkable how self-assured and distinctive their debut full-length Nude sounds. The opener begins with clicky, syncopated rim drumming and a deliciously memorable bass motif, and it’s clear that this is not your average psych-blues garage band. RANT.’s songwriting doesn’t rely on verse-chorus predictability, but instead arcs like mini-films, with each song unfolding like a vignette, with a streak of Nick Cave at his most unhinged running throughout. The vocals often feel like they’re coming from the other side of the room, recorded with the ambient sound of the walls, telling the story through tone and texture, not just words. Caviar, an eight-minute call-and-response jam that meanders with confidence and restraint before exploding shows the band’s command of tension and release, with eerie stretches suddenly giving way to full-band howls erupting from the back of a cavernous room.

The drumming throughout is a standout, with loose, funky, and deeply groovy rhythms. D.O.N.E. rides hard on an infectious bounce with riffs that stomp and a soaring chorus. One moment that truly reveals the breadth of RANT.’s vision is Internude, a stark, moody instrumental that strips everything back to just finger-picked guitar. A deeply evocative, carefully composed piece that conjures something akin to the quieter corners of Jar of Flies-era Alice In Chains, with a real sense of regret. Nude moves through ominous tones and then swings right back into swaggering rockers seamlessly with brooding intensity and irresistible menace.