Nuance  nōō'äns   -noun: “An expression or appreciation of the subtle shades of meaning, feelings and tones”.

It is an outline the quartet found very agreeable when applying those textures to their music. As Donald Pan (vocals and guitar) explains, “In our songs, there are subtle messages we try to convey, whether through music or through lyrics. It is about differences that might not be noticed.” By doing so, Nuance waxes sonic restraints in their edgy songwriting, crafting out visceral tales around colorful melodies.

Being influenced by a vast variety of genres, the band’s repertoire ranges from alt-rock to post-rock, and comes taut with sharp pop sensibilities within explosive cathartics. “Our songs deal with the tormenters and the tormented, from little personal pieces to epics about politics, from losers and drunks to politicians in power”, adds Donald. Not surprisingly a fan wrote in to describe their music as “very sincere pop”.

It began in 2000 when Donald Pan (vocals, guitar) and Calvin Chian (drums) became friends in an Internet chat room with a shared admiration for artistes like Radiohead, Sigur Ros and Elliot Smith. Calvin recalls, “He was this loony talking to himself but was making more sense than the others chatting in that channel”. It wasn’t a wonder that the then army medic forged a friendship with the psychology major.

A year later the idea of forming a band took shape. Calvin roped his pals, Xu Yong Hui (guitar) and Kevin Loh (bass) into the outfit.  A bemused Kevin back then thought why not, “Don looked like a metal punk and I thought we were starting a metal band.” Getting together is easy, but keeping it going isn’t, as Donald juggles his studies in Melbourne and the band in Singapore.

In 2004, Nuance issued a self-released bedroom demo that cost them S$26 to produce. By mid 2006, Hui had left and Alexius Cai (guitar) joined the band. “I am a big advocate of simplicity, sincerity and melodies. That’s what I like about Nuance, even before I came in”, says Alexius on why he joined them in a heartbeat. At the tail end of 2007, Nuance started work on their self-titled EP, produced by Evan Tan (The Observatory) and Eugene Wong (Morphy).




The EP contains six songs and two video tracks, and was produced, mixed and recorded by Evan Tan (The Observatory), Eugene Wong (Morphy) and Nuance, between November 2007 and May 2008.

Traversing from spirited indie-rock to folk, Nuance’s songs stalk their way under your skin, exploring the ills of current affairs and the theme of testament inspired messages.

Frontman Donald Pan elaborates, “We wanted a balance to the EP that would reflect what we are now. Songs like Mesopotamia and Fear Strikes Mankind have evolved a lot since we first wrote and performed them.” Drummer Calvin Chian adds, “It is all about breaking out of the genre box and not sticking to a particular mode of songwriting and playing. In that, we are always looking forward to catching listeners off guard with an unpredictable repertoire.”

The evolution of the songs was quite natural. Throughout the writing process, Nuance often surprised themselves, allowing the song to ‘organically’ grow on its own, by jamming free form and letting the music lift-off towards unknown places. “We often ended up giving each other the WTF-did-we-just-do look,” says Calvin. Bassist Kevin Loh agrees, “I am still wondering if the songs were intended to sound like that from the start!”

As the band speaks about the songs on their EP, you get the sense that they are delicately manoeuvring you to a self-reflective place with a half-empty whiskey bottle in one hand, and the bible in the other.

On Mesopotamia
Donald Pan “Written in the aftermath of the announcement from the US that they will go hunt down Saddam in Iraq, Mesopotamia is a song about tyranny and about the poor boys that sign up to fight for their country. Ultimately it’s the tragedy of it all and the death of diplomacy.”

On Silver City
Donald Pan “Silver City was born during an ad hoc jam with Alexius, when he first joined the band. It started off as a song about my grandpa who passed away 3 years ago. My dad didn’t get to see him as much because he was in a different country, and I didn’t get to see either of them much, because all three of us were in different countries. That situation spurred me on to develop the lyrics into a narrative of a man who’s on his deathbed, wishing to correct regrets, which he can’t.”

On Fear Strikes Mankind
Donald Pan “Another song from the early years of our inception. There are two parts to it. The second part was developed over the years. Fear Part I is the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Old Testament. Abraham has to sacrifice Isaac under God’s command. So the story is told from both Abraham and Isaac’s viewpoint. The song is about faith and the struggle between not wanting to do something and the duty of having to do something. It’s an existential question about whether there is a purpose to this. Like, would God not allow this evil to be carried out? Is there a purpose? Fear II is about organized religion and the question of whether or not we are serving the purpose of God by following the purpose of the Church.”

On Labour and Luna, the two live tracks
Alexius Cai “The two live tracks, Labour and Luna, were recorded at Home Club by Joe Ng (ex-Padres). One of his hobbies is going to local gigs, recording and archiving them. It was never meant for release. But we asked him to let us include it in, to let people have a sneak peek at what is yet to come.”