Nausea was an
American hardcore punk band from New York City, active from 1985 to 1992. They are cited as a notable band in the first wave of
crust punk.
Nausea were involved in the New York City Lower East Side squatting community. Their earlier sound with singers Amy Miret and Neil Robinson was in the vein of
hardcore punk.
Nausea's apocalyptic lyrics and artwork were influenced by the sociopolitical issues of the day, such as the Reagan Administration, the US-
USSR Cold
War, and threats of
nuclear war with the
USSR.
Nausea focused on topics such as
environmentalism,
human extinction,
pollution, and
animal rights.
Nausea progressed from having a very
Discharge styled
hardcore… Read more punk sound, to in its later years with new singer Al Long, having a more dark and metallic sound, similar to UK
bands like
Amebix and
Axegrinder. The band broke new ground for the emerging
crust punk genre, flirting with
doom metal, d-beat, noise rock and sludge. Band member John John Jesse describes their
music by citing
bands such as
Discharge, Black Sabbath, Slayer, and
Pink Floyd as influences. In their formative years, the founding members were compelled by the political and social messages that the band
Crass would use to drive their
music; their lyrics reflected their views on
feminism,
anti-racism, class
conflict, and the opposition
against war.