Middle‑aged bands aren’t supposed to sound this hungry. Yet Nearly Skulls — the long‑running creative partnership between Paul Sherwood and Andy Shepley, have returned with PAX AMERICANA, a five‑track EP that feels like both a culmination and a rebirth. Recorded during an intense three‑day session at Abbey Road Studio 2, the release captures a duo who refuse to coast on nostalgia, instead sharpening their sound and view for a world that’s only grown stranger.
Sherwood and Shepley’s story stretches back to the early 90s, when Paul’s Stockport home studio became the birthplace of DOWNTIME — a project that caught the ear of Radio 1’s Steve Wright, who dubbed their debut single “the new industrial sound of Stockport”. The band imploded (for reasons the duo now laugh about), but the creative spark didn’t.
WIREWOOD followed: a transatlantic Americana‑leaning outfit who toured coast‑to‑coast across the US, recorded two albums, earned college‑radio love, and even flirted with a major‑label deal in Los Angeles. They played legendary rooms — The Viper Room, Goldfingers, Canter’s Kibitz Room — before life, families, and day jobs pulled them back to Manchester.
But the itch never left. And Nearly Skulls is the sound of two musicians reconnecting with the thing that always made sense.
The new EP is their most cohesive statement yet — a blend of British indie sensibility and American alt‑rock grit. Sherwood’s lyrics, increasingly shaped by the chaos of modern politics and the creeping reach of tech, give the songs a sharp contemporary edge.
Tracklisting:
Only In America
Living The Dream
American Rules
Polarized and Weaponized
Planet Elon
“Planet Elon” is the curveball: a swirling, atmospheric detour that expands their sonic palette without losing the jangly guitar DNA that defines them. It’s a song built for the moment — part satire, part warning, part wide‑eyed wonder at the world we’ve stumbled into.
The December 2025 Abbey Road session yielded more than 20 tracks, meaning PAX AMERICANA barely scratches the surface. Early 2026 sees the duo mixing the remaining material, editing videos, and preparing for their first full‑band shows — a milestone that feels long overdue.
Is this a comeback? we at musomuso like to think that’s its more of a continuation.
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