Part of working up a legacy is having firsts (of one kind or another) as a part of a career. After a certain point in any genre, though, that becomes relatively difficult. And punk by the time it had solidified during the mid to late seventies doing something first was pretty difficult. Of course, turning into a hardcore focused ensemble might have worked, but that’s almost a different animal than punk.
Either way, some count the Nuns as one of the first punk bands in California, dating the group’s inception around 1975. That’s really a difficult thing to figure – dating groups is really a thankless and eventually useless endeavor. Either way, there are still some folks who figure the Nuns as issuing the first punk single in Cali as well. Again, who knows? Surely, no one in the band was keeping vigilant details. What isn’t debatable, though, is that Alejandro Escovedo was the bands guitarist – so the Nuns count as the first band he was in. There’s one. But seeing as most folks don’t really care too much about Escovedo’s mélange of music that might not be too big a deal either.
Oddly, enough, though, the Nuns, alongside another femme fronted punk group, the Avengers, opened for the Sex Pistols at its last show in San Francisco. So, while that might not be a first, it’s a pretty heady moment to be associated with. It’s just that most folks aren’t familiar with the Nuns at all. In mentioning the Avengers, though, its presence on the scene might have something to do with that.
Whatever the case, the Nuns issued a long player in 1980. And even with that cover summoning images of Blondie, the effort didn’t do too much in the way of raising the group’s visibility. And considering that the ensemble had been around for about five years, predating ‘punk,’ it seems as if they should have all just called it a day prior to issuing the disc.
What’s most problematic when taking a listen to the self titled disc is the Nuns’ inability to stick to some semblance of a singular sound. With three different vocalists working up lyrics and songs, there’s not a cohesive bent to the album. The difference between The Nuns’ opening track, “Savage” and “Confused” is pretty expansive. Just switching from a female singer to a male vocalist makes the group come off as a more aggressive act. It might in part have to do with the song’s tempo, but the two guys singing over the course of this first album are able to toughen up the Nuns – and it’s a much needed aspect.
A portion of this scattered approach to the album might have something to do with new wave being a real market force by 1980. And considering the band wasn’t too far from that sound in the first place, the few fey tracks might be the ensemble attempting to make headway in the popularity department. Whatever the reason, though, the disc is tough to get through. And since there aren’t any back to back stunners, the Nuns have seemingly been relegated to the dustbin for a reason.