Def Nettle Released New Track “Head Wrecker”

After a year-long hiatus, Def Nettle reemerges with Head Wrecker, a snarling, rhythm-driven single that reasserts the band’s post-punk credentials with snarling flair. Released on May 9, the track marks a tonal shift from the folktronic experiments of February’s Get Me Here, signaling a return to the raw, unfiltered energy that defined the band’s early work.

Fronted by the genre-hopping producer and vocalist Glen Brady — whose résumé includes collaborations with R.E.M., Dolores O’Riordan, and Andy Rourke — Def Nettle fuses punk-funk grit with angular electronics and lyrical irreverence. “Every artist knows where this song is coming from,” Brady said, referencing the song’s sharp critique of creative disillusionment and the critic culture surrounding it. “There’s always that one critic… ‘Head Wrecker’ throws it right back.”

The track, featuring new drummer Damien Fox alongside bassist Ely Siegel, guitarist Ronnie Carroll, and vocalist Lisa Doyle, is the first in a trilogy of singles planned for 2025. With nods to Joy Division and The The, yet pulsing with contemporary urgency, Head Wrecker demonstrates a band unwilling to rest on reputation — instead evolving with force, wit, and uncompromising style. Def Nettle, it seems, are just getting started again.