Nerve has shared his third new single of 2022, titled ‘Wasted’.
The song follows on from April’s ‘DFRNT.’ and July’s ‘Yuck!’. It was produced by Finbar Stuart of Boomchild, marking the first time the two have worked together. ‘Wasted’ is a notable release for the rapper, as it emphasises his singing for the first time, with more of a focus on guitars in the arrangement than his usual hip-hop beats.
An accompanying music video has also been shared for the new single, directed by Zac Harris. The clip begins with Nerve standing outside the front of a pub smoking a cigarette, before it’s revealed that the video is playing in reverse. A backwards pub brawl follows around Nerve, who simply sits and drinks beer instead of getting involved.
Watch the video below:
In a press statement, Nerve admitted that the single “kind of came out of nowhere”.
“I wrote it all pretty much on the spot, and the meaning of it didn’t make sense at first until I played it back a few times,” he said. “Obviously, it sounds like a drinking song but more so it feels like a war between my heart and my brain.”
The rapper went on to emphasise the songs’s chorus, which he said has an “energy behind [it]”.
“To me, [the chorus] feels like letting go of the chokehold your logical side has over emotions and just existing in the present,” he said. “In that moment, everything is nothing and there is no anxiety and no fear.”
Nerve will perform ‘Wasted’ live for the first time since its release at a series of upcoming dates in support of The Terrys. He will join the band for three dates of their ‘True Colour’ national tour across late October and early November: Jive Bar in Adelaide, the UC Hub in Canberra and Altar Bar in Hobart.
Away from his own music, Nerve appeared on Triple One‘s ‘Mr. Whippy’ back in January. He was joined on the song by Lil Golo, Mulalo and Cult Shotta. He also appeared on ‘Dot Dot Dot’, a track from Example‘s album ‘We May Grow Old But We Never Grow Up’, in May.