Tatiana Havill Affatati, bassist and back-up vocalist with new Eugene garage-rock three-piece Nudie Mags, has been reading David Byrne’s book How Music Works. She’s particularly interested in the bit Byrne writes about how, before modern recording technology, music was written specifically to fill the space where it was performed, from the concert hall to the beer hall. 

So what kind of space is her band best suited for? “Parties!” say Affatati and the rest of the band members: guitarist and primary songwriter Alex Petroc and drummer Austin Crabtree. Nudie Mags have released their debut EP, Nduie Mgas, and it’s available now on Bandcamp and on limited-edition cassette. 

The EP, sounding a bit like an old Rolling Stones demo, is certainly rough: a true bedroom recording produced in actual bedrooms by Chase Clark of Eugene band VCR. “He lit a fire under our butts,” Petroc says of Clark. But the result is dangerously good: a filthy rock-’n’-roll fastball. Nothing feels complete, but I want to hear more. 

“Why do I write songs?” Petroc asks. He admits that, right now, Nudie Mags are working through his back catalog of material. “We have our outlet,” Affatati and Crabtree explain. Both musicians also play in local band The Beepsters. Petroc says he’s drawn to songwriting because “poetry has no connection to the body.” 

This gets to the heart of Nudie Mags. Right now they’re visceral, physical and a little nasty. Affatati says playing music in this band is a little like “playing music with three bonfires.”

And Petroc sums it up: “I wanted to find that rock-’n’-roll feeling.”

Nudie Mags’ debut EP is available now at nudiemags.bandcamp.com. Look out for a Northwest tour this spring.