Deerhunter: "Nosebleed"

Nobody seems to buy real singles anymore: a cute little 7”, a paper-sheathed cassette, an admittedly absurd slender CD single. The same effect can be achieved by simply downloading the track in question, with one small difference: the B-side. It seems like sides died even before singles did, replaced by disappointing live tracks and demos. This came off as lazy, and completely missed the point. A B-side is supposed to be adventurous and appealingly tossed off. It’s supposed to be a decent, semi-secret song, one only those lucky fans get to hear.

It makes sense that Bradford Cox would understand the beauty of the B-side, since between Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, he has more music than he knows what to do with. And as anyone who’s heard his airtight pop compositions can tell you, he’s also not the type to phone something in—even something as insignificant as a B-side. So that brings us to “Nosebleed,” which fits snugly on the flipside of “Memory Boy,” that bombastic standout from last year’s Halcyon Digest. “Nosebleed” is unremarkable in that it’s yet another intoxicatingly singable number from Cox’s gifted brain, but it compliments “Memory Boy” elegantly.

Straight out of the gate, this song hits hard with thumping drums and glam-rock guitar. “We might have made a mistake,” Cox cautions, describing what doesn’t sound like a great night: “She’s taking off her clothes now / I’ve got a bloody nose now.” While “Memory Boy,” softer and creepier, offers a sneaking feeling that something isn’t right, “Nosebleed” spells it out with full-on alarm. “We might / We might / We might have gone too far,” Cox wails, and though he’s briefly interrupted by a laconic solo, his distress is front and center.

“Nosebleed” is simple, but it’s another great Deerhunter rock song—one that might seem too great to languish on the neglected side of a 7” record. But Cox has shown that he understands and respects the tradition of the B-side, and both halves of this single together pack enough punch to give whole albums a run for their money.