Following yesterday’s news that Jarred Followill, bassist for Kings Of Leon, was using the band’s downtime to launch a new side project called Smoke & Jackal.
Today, Scotland indie heirs, Franz Ferdinand are getting in on the act, with guitarist/keys player Nick McCarthy launching his own side project.
NME reveals the outfit is called The Nice Nice Boys, Nick McCarthy has teamed up with Andy Knowles of The Helaers, the backing band for former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, to unveil their debut single, ‘Round Town’.
The tune is a far cry from Franz Ferdinand’s cheeky independent art-pop, or even Knowles’ classic-influenced rock.
‘Round Town’ features rapper Marvellous Macc Mello spitting rhymes in a thick ‘rood boy’ accent over a stuttering synth pattern and hissing hi-hat beat, and is labelled as ‘The Nice Nice Boys vs Marvellous Macc Mello’ in true urban style (hit the banner up top to have a listen).
The garage-hop track was recorded in McCarthy’s own Sausage Studios and mixed at the infamous Abbey Road studios, and is scheduled to be released through McCarthy and Knowle’s newly minted label, Meat Records.
The musical duo first met at the Glasgow School of Art in 2001, but Knowles has filled in on touring duties with Franz Ferdinand as an extra stage musician before being roped into Johnny Marr’s outift.
After first meeting, they’ve wanted to produce something together ever since – and after first hearing Mac Mello, the emerging UK MC inspired the two to get the job done.
Meanwhile Franz – who have been debuting new material in concert recently – are currently working on a new record, the follow-up to their 2009 album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.
McCarthy isn’t the only musician using the between albums break to pair up with another creative type.
As previously mentioned, Kings Of Leon bassist Jarred Followill has teamed up with Nick Browne, frontman for Nashville band Mona, to form Smoke & Jackal; who will release an EP the pair recorded in just one week earlier this year.
In related news, Followill recently told press that he and his brother/cousin bandmates have started work on the follow-up to 2010’s Come Around Sundown. “We’ve been meeting with producers every day so we’re starting to get the ball rolling on album six,” said Followill. “I don’t know what I can say, but we’re definitely planning on starting the record some point in the near future.”
