New York band The Nude began with vocalist Luke Bergstedt addressing an existential crisis that left him asking himself “are you a musician or not?” during the pandemic. But the thrilling modern rock’n’roll sound the band has honed since, by combining elements of metal, funk, punk and the blues, ensures question marks are no longer required.
The concept of the band was formed during the pandemic, when vocalist Luke Bergstedt contemplated whether he’d let the lockdowns hinder his creativity. “Essentially, during the pandemic, I had a decision: are you a musician or not?” Luke explained. “Does the government closing the doors of public areas prohibit you from crafting? Does the streaming era decide whether or not these songs will be published?”
In 2022, answered his own questions by moving back to New York and reuniting with bassist Nick Cageao, with whom he’d hung out at music venue Vitus Bar in Brooklyn. The duo met guitarist Henry Ott through a few organic jams in Brooklyn and completed the lineup with drummer Derrick Duemler after posting an ad on Backstage.
Luke’s move back to New York was with one mission in mind, telling us: “I had the idea for a rock and roll album centered around vulnerability and (being) real. No autotune, no makeup, no bullshit.
“After writing the songs and themes of the music, I handed the songs to the new team for their embellishments, being that I am mainly a singer who had to learn to compose. Fortunately, we found that after three months of rehearsing, we not only had chemistry but also the ability to click and experience sound together as a unit. So eight songs was only the beginning.”
And on the sound they’ve crafted over the last few years, Luke said: “Raw, authentic, vulnerable, and real. No autotune or gross manipulation of our live sound. A 2025 rock and roll sound. If you took 40% of the blues, 40% of metal, and 20% punk rock and blended it together, that’s how I’d describe it.”
Our latest taste of this is The Nude’s debut album Stand And Be Recognized, which was released in November, from which they sent us the track If Misery?. It opens up with a moody light guitar lick that continues alongside laid-back drums and crooning vocals. Heavier guitar chords suddenly kick in as Luke’s vocals intensify in a huge chorus “I’ve been married to my sorrows, Ages thick, memories deep, As they’ve promised me tomorrow, What’s life if misery?” The pace drops again in another moody verse before blasting into another big chorus, which gives way to a cool guitar solo that drops into another chorus to bring the track to a lively conclusion.
On the track, Luke told us: “The song’s question mark is specifically tied to the meaning found in the chorus. Happiness is a choice, and if stuck in misery, you have the ability to choose differently. I wrote it specifically for those who have been deep within their own trenches for so long, they might have forgotten their own strengths. A bit of blues, a bit of jazz, a touch of doom, and an excellent rhythm section: a cheap ticket to heaven.” Check it out in the stream here:
The album is packed with more rock’n’roll excellence, starting with the lively opening track It Gets Easier. When Forever Comes Laughing is a wild riot of a track and we love the sound of the powerful Medicating and Devilicious, which opens up with a funky lick giving way to Luke’s excellent vocals over busy guitars and rolling drums.
On the album, Luke told us: “To be frank it feels a bit odd. I made myself a promise and refused to leave that unfinished. It feels surreal to have a completed work of eight tracks that connect and have a purpose for the listener.
“My goal was to give the listener a series of secrets that I learned and embedded them in the lyrics when understanding the track list one through eight. A lot of those secrets are found in our marketing, but mainly the listener can expect eight excellent songs that are interwoven in the traditional journey that records should, in my opinion.”
The Nude sound is heavily influenced by a wide range of music, from black metal and underground hardcore to pop and jazz. Luke calls out artists as varied as James Brown, Bee Gees, Phil Anselmo and Warrel Dane, Frank Sinatra, Franco Corelli and Corpsegrinder, and Brad Mehldau and Keith Jarrett.
And on what inspires him to write music, Luke explained: “A lot. Life specifically. I’m a classic case of dead or in jail if it weren’t for music. To know that music gave me a different purpose is an honor I can’t put into a few words. But I write music because it keeps me safe and healthy and I absolutely love performing it.
“All the stories I write about either happened to me personally, or are derived from feelings I’ve personally experienced. I fully believe we are capable of changing our fates without Abrahamic nonsense, and so I write about that extensively. I’m also a huge history and philosophy nerd, but I try to reserve those stories for other bands being that this current chapter was reserved for a very specific series of moods in the 8 songs presented on the album.
The Nude plan to play more shows and release new music, alongside printing and moving more merch over the next 12 months. They also have a stanza written as a guide to their album and aims to walk the listener through the record’s emotions, which you can discover on their website.
You can follow The Nude on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
GigRadar 
Great sound and so much talent! Luke has a unique voice and the band clearly know what they are doing.
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