Photo: Luca Watson

Shady Nasty are the cold and cruel embodiment of modern dating in “CHEST HEIGHT”

Amorphous Australian trio Shady Nasty are back with a new track called “CHEST HEIGHT”, released just ahead of their debut UK and EU tour, starting next week. On their new song, they say:

“CHEST HEIGHT is about our collective experiences of dating app logic. It explores the temptation to see dating as a game with fixed rules, one which can ultimately lock you and your perception of others into cheap and isolating yet extremely powerful categories.”

Previous Shady Nasty jams have honed their cutting view of modern life, from “Ibiza” to “Prettyb0yz”, but there’s something even more gutting about “CHEST HEIGHT”. Perhaps it’s the exceptionally cold atmosphere they’ve created out of quietly squealing strings, but it also seems to be there’s more humanity in their voices – which only makes the affirmations like “you can’t do anything right at all / and your head is at a chest height / if you were two inches taller maybe you’d do better at the club” seem harsher. It’s almost like a friend – or someone you thought was a friend – putting their arm around you for some ‘real talk’, only to let you know you’re short, ugly and have no chance with any of the people in the club. Somehow, despite this cruel characterisation, Shady Nasty still ensure the track is an ethereal banger, floating between electronic, R&B and experimental rock – a complex mix to send a direct message.

Listen to “CHEST HEIGHT” below or on streaming platforms.


You can follow Shady Nasty on Facebook and Instagram. Their upcoming tour dates are:

Mon 9 May – MOTH Club – London, UK
Tue 10 May – MOTH Club – London, UK
Thu 12 May – The Great Escape @ Komedia Basement – Brighton, UK
Fri 13 May – The Great Escape @ Patterns Up – Brighton, UK
Thu 12 – Sun 15 May – The Great Escape – Brighton, UK
Tue 17 May – Trix – Antwerp, BE*
Thu 19 May – V11 – Rotterdam, NE*
Fri 20 May – ACU – Utrecht, NE*
Sat 21 May – Vera – Groningen, NE*
Mon 23 May – Blue Shell – Cologne, DE*
Tue 24 May – Molotow Skybar – Hamburg, DE*
*supporting Gustaf