Inspired into existence by the Sex Pistols, this young Montreal guitar quartet, led by brothers Alex and Carlos Soria, plays energetic and competent punkergized rock with rich vocals on their Chris Spedding-produced debut album. (Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats financed and produced the first Canadian EP; the second was actually recorded earlier but went unreleased until 1986. The Nils is only a semi-official title; the record is also known as The Red EP.)
The Nils album has the same kind of fearless commercial sensibility and melodic intuition as 1978 Generation X or 1987 Soul Asylum: songs like “When the Love Puts on a Sad Face,” “Bandito Callin'” and the Hüsker Dü-like “Young Man in Transit” don’t reach those bands’ heights but show just as much effort and ingenuous spirit.