NADEZHDA on hope in a time of despair

Salt Lake City band NADEZHDA (which means “hope” in Slavic languages), describes themselves as “hardcore’s Fleetwood Mac.” The 5-piece band is Erika Ahlin (bass), Derek Ballard (guitar), Brighton Ballard (vocals), Trey Bird (drums), and Ikaika Cox (guitar). Their debut EP Battery, released in January, dissects the impacts of capitalism, greed, and unattainable access. 

In some ways, Battery explores the illusory “American Dream.” Do we all have an equal opportunity at success or are we simply surviving? On the opening track “Battery,” Brighton explores the double-edged sword of awareness. Knowing that our world is on the brink of a collapse and perhaps not being able to do much about it, but still holding on to hope that things will turn around. That bleeds into “Waste,” on which she growls “I wish somebody would notice me.” Sonically, the 5-track release pulls in influences from hardcore, grunge, and alt-rock, pairing perfectly with its lyrical content. 

We connected with the band to talk about influences, recording at Archive, and playing music to get away from distractions.

Congrats on Battery! How did NADEZHDA come about? What’s your origin story?

Brighton: Thank you, we’re super stoked on the response it’s gotten so far. We all have been in the hardcore and punk scenes here in Salt Lake and the surrounding areas for a lot of years, and NADEZHDA came out of a desire to delve into less aggressive, still authentic music. Our first riffs were written by Derek and me as early as 2017, with Kai joining us pretty soon after that, but it wasn’t until we gathered in our current form that everything really took shape. Since we’ve all been in other bands, this feels like our step-family – the family that stepped up.

The themes in Battery delve into the struggles of those on the edge of economic collapse. Can you share some specific inspirations or experiences that influenced the lyrical content of the songs?

Brighton: I think all of the lyrics touch on some part of growing up working class and under the thumb of an unfeeling system. I drew from a lot of different places and experiences besides my own, but we try to always write from a place of empathy rather than judgment. A song like “Curbside,” for example, is about someone experiencing homelessness, but from the perspective of a person recognizing a reflection of themselves in that struggle.

Other songs center around the challenges of living through the collapse of capitalism, and what that does to us as individuals, feeling unable to break away from the pressure to survive while confronted with so much pain, with a literal genocide taking place live in front of us. And at the end, there is some hope and acceptance – I think that’s what “Good Side” is about, in a sick kind of way. Losing all hope is freedom, that kind of thing.

How did you approach the production and recording process on Battery? Did you go into Archive Recordings with a specific goal in terms of sound?

Kai: I think the specific goal was to discover some sounds and make something we all found interesting. Wes [Johnson] has awesome equipment at Archive, it gave us plenty of opportunities to experiment and layer a variety of sounds. It was a great time, I can’t recommend it enough. Production-wise, we all made it to a productive and collaborative headspace. I think it’s important to trust the process, be open to input, try new things… Everyone brought their A-game, Wes was an incredible guide through the whole thing.

This being our first time recording as this group, we definitely learned a lot. Very rewarding experience overall. I think if there’s one key lesson I learned, it’s that time spent doing pre-production on your own is time saved in the studio.

Brighton: I always say that Archive is Utah’s Abbey Road, and I mean it. We didn’t set out saying we wanted to sound a certain way, but we did want to take the energy and passion that we had for these songs and try to make that translate. Wes definitely helped us do that.

The EP touches on the pursuit of distraction to cope with deep insecurities. As songwriters/performers, does music serve as a distraction or a means of solace for the band?

Brighton: You know, probably a little bit of both, depending on which one of us you’re asking, on any given day. Derek and I aren’t the types who make our best work in a depressive state, but we’ve really looked to this project as something hopeful, and we always look forward to practice and getting together with the band.

So, it’s a kind of solace while also trying to process and cope with our insecurities, and sometimes it brings those insecurities up. You have to be a certain kind of fucked in the head to want to give it all up for late nights and impossible dreams (like the Majority Rule lyric) especially when there’s like, so much good TV right now.

Can you share any specific challenges or memorable moments you encountered while creating Battery? 

Kai: Memorable moments have been plentiful. Our work together up to now has been rewarding. It’s awesome to be in a creative project where everyone is growing and pushing themselves to improve. Some memorable moments, in no particular order:

• Playing our first show, where the venue discovered a broken sewer main 15 minutes before load in, scrambling to find a new venue (thanks, The Beehive!) pulling together all the other artists, and having a great night with it all in spite of the challenges.

• Getting the first couple of songs dialed in with Trey and Erika

• Booking recording time at Archive

• The whole recording process. I personally love the crucible of a few days in the studio. 

• Screenprinting most of our own merch with Derek

• The list goes on!

There’s a great line in the opening track “Battery” that reads: “Too smart to be happy/Too stupid to die.”  What is the message you intend to convey with these contrasting views?

Brighton: Well, that line came to me pretty quickly while we were working on Battery’s opening track, and felt like it resonated immediately. To be so aware of the conditions around the world, helpless to do anything about any of them, and also trying to carve out some small amount of joy in our own short lives – it honestly feels impossible. At the same time, I’m not ready to give up trying just yet, and so we’re kind of stuck in the loop of seeing too clearly to let go and be happy, but too dumb to let go of the hope that it’s possible.

Are there any particular artists or musical influences that played a significant role in shaping the sound of "Battery"? If so, how do you navigate drawing inspiration from your influences while maintaining your unique identity as a band?

Derek: The main driving force for this project was to bring the intensity and values often present in a hardcore project, but packaged in a more accessible and catchy pop-pilled musical style. Some bands that have inspired us whether musically, ethically or even just how they present themselves online or play live shows are:  

Hot Snakes, Reckling, Spiritual Cramp, Teen Mortgage, High Vis, Drug Church, Show Me the Body, Dag Nasty, Swain, IDLES, American Nightmare, Fugazi, Super Unison, Pissed Jeans, Dinosaur Jr., Quicksand, Sleep, The Smashing Pumpkins, Patti Smith, Nirvana, International Noise Conspiracy, Against Me!, Public Eye, Ceremony, Hum

Kai: Overall, we all grew up listening to punk, grunge, hardcore, pop, etc. Part of the sound is nostalgia for those old tones, the other part is trying to make new music we all dig, dig?

What do you hope listeners take away from your debut EP and how do you see your sound evolving in the future?

Brighton: We tried to be intentional with the EP’s tracklist and flow from pretty early on in the writing process. Our hope is that folks will go on that journey with us through a lot of different places while staying true to our stylistic vision. We hope that it leaves people wanting more because we have a lot more on the way. 

---

Battery by NADEZHDA is out now and can be purchased via Bandcamp. You can also listen wherever you stream music. Follow NADEZHDA on Instagram.

---