Nuclear Nation

Words by Reece Lord

Nuclear Nation is a hardcore punk band from New Braunfels, Texas, and they’re here to kick ass and take names. While they appear to be a band in their infancy, they are far more determined in honing their unique sound and making the San Antonio scene aware of their presence. In only two years, Nuclear Nation has added two full-length albums to their Spotify resume and have been consistently playing shows at Vibes Underground and The Phoenix Saloon.

To me, Nuclear Nation sounds like the reincarnation of your favorite 90’s/00’s pop-punk bands (think Blink-182, pre-Dookie Green Day, and Rancid) mixed with the third wave ska chunky, muted guitars and rhythmic sections reminiscent of Sublime and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They are one of the most bombastic bands to be signed to BlueJay Records, and Nuclear Nation is sure to remind us of that power in every song on our phone and every encore at a show.

Questions:

First off, tell me your name and where you are from.

I’m Marco Polo the Singer and Guitar player. We’ve got My brother Matt Polo on Drums. Richard Herbsleb on Bass and vocals, and then David Jennings on guitar

How did the name “Nuclear Nation” come about, and what is the meaning behind the name?

That’s a really good question. It’s kind of a dumb story in a way. When I (Marco) was like 7 years old I started the band with my brother Matt, and we would play punk clubs around New Braunfels and San Antonio. We had come to the conclusion that we needed a name, so I hopped on my old ass, barely working, 2009 laptop and went onto a name generator. I put a bunch of keywords like Punk, Nukes, war, and just cool shit for a kid, and through the whole list we saw Nuclear Nation and it stuck.

Do y’all have a favorite track off of “Stardumb”? If so, which one and why?

Stardumb is one of those albums where all the songs, no matter how many times I’ve heard them, will never get old to me. I think in my opinion Wrong, or Today are my 2 favorites. I know Matt is a huge fan of Pandemic though.

Who would you say is yall’s greatest influence when writing songs?

This one's probably a bit obvious in our sound, but we grew up with Green Day, Nirvana, and NOFX our whole lives. So at some point, we’ve gotta pay credit to some of our sound coming from there.

Do y’all have a favorite venue you’ve performed at?

Honestly, I’d say our favorite one is in our hometown of New Braunfels. It’s called the Phoenix saloon. It’s such a great place to play and a super fun environment.

What do you want Nuclear Nation to be best known for in the near future?

I really would love for us to be known for our live shows. We pretty much write and plan everything around our shows because, in our opinion, that is where you get to see the personality and the livelihood of the band.

How was life during the pandemic for the band, and how did y’all adjust to this?

Life during the Pandemic was actually pretty easy for us. We had a tour booked which later got canceled which sucked, but of course with that, many other bands were dropping out of the scene, or they were taking a hiatus from shows which really turned the spotlight on us since we were one of the few bands continuing to play. It really helped give us a slot on the few shows that were still going on.

What does the future hold in store for Nuclear Nation?

Good question! Nuclear Nation is entering Stonecreek sound studios in September to start recording our 3rd album. Well also be kicking off a tour in early 2022 and a smaller tour in late August 2021. We really just want to make sure we go out and share our music and our energy with every single person possible!