After a nearly two year journey of rediscovery and reinvention, 21 year-old Tyler Simpson has returned with the release of “Piggy Bank”, debuting under the moniker of Nemo Lakes. The LA-based alternative rock and experimental artist recently premiered the independently filmed music video for “Piggy Bank”, a song which Tyler hopes will be the thesis for his newest project, Nemo Lakes.
See, Nemo Lakes is not a real person. Rather, Nemo Lakes is a caricature - or an effigy even - of Simpson’s persona. As Tyler puts it, “Nemo Lakes puts my ego, desires, and jealousy on a pedestal, in order to cut it down.” In a sense, Nemo Lakes represents a reality that has been exaggerated in order to make it more easily palatable and comprehensible - which makes his words all the more cathartic.
“Piggy Bank” is the first song Tyler has made under the direction of this new theme, and as such, serves to live as an introductory thesis for Simpson’s sound going forward.
As it stands, “Piggy Bank” is Nemo Lakes at his brashest. Frustrated and cold, he does not shy away from putting his detractors on blast or expressing his distaste for certain tropes of society. Despite the charmingly funky guitar that is almost reminiscent of Artic Monkeys, a terrifyingly calm anger can be felt emanating throughout the song from Nemo Lakes. Displeased with his situation, Nemo Lakes continues to circle back to his desire for a piggy bank - to bring some change into his life.
The music video, which premiered on the 14th of February, is an exhilaratingly fresh watch, and features Simpson portraying visible anger and defeat amidst a vast and desolate desert. Directed by Andres Casanova, an associate of Simpson’s from USC, the video draws great visual influence from the critically acclaimed “Mad Max” series.
Under this artistic direction, we see Simpson - or rather, Nemo Lakes - on a lone rampage in the desert; burning, dismantling, and destroying all while walking dangerously close to a group of motocross riders. Each sequence is not only visually stunning and well-framed, but thematically very fitting and suited to the message of “Piggy Bank”.
Despite the unique guise of Nemo Lakes, Tyler Simpson is actually not all that different from many emerging artists. As an on-and-off musician for almost eight years, Tyler - like so many others in his class - is completely self taught.
“I never took a guitar, piano, or production lesson and I couldn’t tell you a thing about music theory,” Tyler wrote, “YouTube can change your life.”
He dates his beginnings in music to the Christmas of his eighth grade year in middle school - when he was given a drum machine, the first instrument Tyler put his hands on. Citing J Dilla as an influence, Tyler would get his mom to drive him to local record stores to buy dollar records to sample every weekend. Over time, Tyler taught himself to play more instruments, like the guitar and piano, and eventually started producing, a process which concluded with the creation of his conceptual artist project, Nemo Lakes.
On his biggest musical inspirations, Simpson listed artists like King Krule, The Gorillaz, and Kid Cudi, all of whom show influence in the musical content and structure of “Piggy Bank”.
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