In their thirty years of existence, Amsterdam-based Nits managed to build up a unique (cult) status in far-flung corners of the world. Keywords here are minimalism, Beatlesque pop music, European culture and a touch of cabaret. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Henk Hofstede has an artist background and uses this with the almost conceptual, individual approach of the Nits albums. In this context,
… Doing The Dishes is a reaction to the dark and pessimistic predecessor Les Nuits (2005). On Doing The Dishes (the funny title already gives it away), Nits sounds cheerful, almost shamelessly poppy and even unpretentious. A sound that (completely des Nits) was thought out and performed to perfection and that sometimes evokes memories of early records such as New Flat (1980) and Omsk (1983). Striking are the Dylan influences, the trio uses more than once, and neatly smoothed out, shuffles in the style of Highway 61. Doing The Dishes has thus become a pleasant record on which the group consolidates its usual craftsmanship. (MR)more
