by Patrick Pilch (@pratprilch)
Spring Silver, the Maryland-based project of K Nkaza, is easily one of the most exciting acts to emerge from the DMV’s rich DIY scene in recent years. Since 2018, Nkaza’s world-building project has approached sprawling bedroom prog, melodic nu metal, and vibrant punk with lyrical sincerity and remarkable musical intent. While Spring Silver’s stylistic range isn’t the easiest to definitively pin, the project is notably personal and only increasingly singular as Nkaza’s jack-of-all-trades approach continues to further their focused pursuit of vivid and transcendent songwriting.
This Friday, March 4th, Spring Silver will self-release their second full length record, I Could Get Used To This. Written and produced by K Nkaza, the new record features a stacked lineup of players and collaborators from the likes of Sadie Dupuis (Sad13), Bartees Strange, and Dylan Baldi (Cloud Nothings). Today we’re premiering the Jhariah, Marco Sah, and Sam Goblin-featuring track “O Kristi,” a cutting punk number aimed at South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. A former South Dakota resident themself, Nkaza expresses disappointment and rightfully criticizes the representative’s voluntary decision to turn the state into a record-breaking COVID Petri dish. “O Kristi/Give me the freedom to kill/Give me the freedom to hurt,” Nkaza howls. Put our beloved state on the map/As the infection capital of the earth.” The track naturally blends each constituent’s contribution; Jhariah’s full harmonies, Goblin’s serrated vocals and Sah’s pummeling percussion. It’s an excellent final sampler of I Could Get Used To This and another reason to get hooked on Spring Silver. Check out “O Kristi” below and read the band’s statement on the track:
"Though I was born in Silver Spring, and have spent a majority of my life here, I spent my adolescent years in Brookings, South Dakota. In many ways, it’s the polar opposite of Silver Spring, culturally and physically. Still, I've never let go of a certain fondness for it. Which is why it affected me very very deeply when governor Kristi Noem and her far right constituency allowed the covid death rate in South Dakota (a state of less than a million) to reach a global high. Not only this, but she was using the state's denizens as guinea pigs for a Trump-touted malaria medication with no conclusive proof of effectiveness. "O Kristi" is my anger, my disbelief, my disappointment put in the form of a song.”