Song premiere: "Every Nerve Alert" by Fine China

Fine China was formed in Phoenix in 1997. After a series of well-received EP’s and singles on Velvet Blue Music, the group’s debut full-length, When the World Sings, was issued by Plastiq Musiq/Tooth and Nail Records in 2000. Produced by Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric, its analog synth-pop evoked the effusive charm of the band’s early ‘80s English pop inspirations, including the Pet Shop Boys, New Order *and *Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

The band’s 2002 Tooth and Nail follow up, You Make Me Hate Music, was produced by Jason Martin of cult shoegaze band Starflyer 59. That record’s angsty songs moved the band into guitar-driven rock territory, inspired by the Smiths, the Buzzcocks, the Pretenders, the Replacements and the Psychedelic Furs.

In 2005, Fine China issued The Jaws of Life on Phoenix-based label Common Wall Media. It was to be the band’s last; they informally dissolved in 2006.

Ten years on, Fine China is getting another day in the sun: a deluxe vinyl edition of The Jaws of Life was released today through a collaborative effort between Velvet Blue Music, Common Wall Media, Plastiq Musiq, and President Gator. In addition to new remixes, the reissue also include the brand-new track “Every Nerve Alert.”

“‘Every Nerve Alert’ felt like one of those songs that kind of wrote itself,” said vocalist/guitarist Rob Withem, who went on to form the Foxglove Hunt with Ronnie Martin. “I sat down for 20 minutes and I had everything pretty much laid out, sent it to the other guys and after their feedback, I pared it back to get the length where it needed to be. We recorded it two days later.

“The guitar solo was the most challenging part, as it is the first and last traditional guitar solo Fine China has ever recorded,” Withem added. “I was aiming for a song that sounded like the Ocean Blue covering the Pretenders.”

Did they hit the mark? Let us know in the comments!