Indie-Americana-splicing duo Paul Sherwood and Andy Shepley wrapped up 2025 with a three day December session at Abbey Road Studio 2, recording over 20 songs, old and new.
Their long-awaited ‘PAX AMERICANA’ EP hit the interwebs in January, with new song “Planet Elon” expected to raise some eyebrows, adding a new swirling atmospheric soundscape to their signature jangly rock guitar sound, while once again Sherwood’s lyrics explore the techno-political dystopia that we’ve all been dragged into.
Full tracklisting:
- Only In America
- Living The Dream
- American Rules
- Polarized and Weaponized
- Planet Elon
Early 2026 will see the guys mixing the Abbey Road session tracks, editing videos and preparing for their first gigs as a full band.
Nearly Skulls is Andy Shepley and Paul Sherwood. They started making music together way way way back in the early 90s (before anyone had mobile phones or email addresses), when Paul set up a home studio in Stockport and recorded a CD album as DOWNTIME and Andy joined on bass for a string of live shows across Manchester.
Radio 1’s Steve Wright described the debut single “Stoneman” as “the new industrial sound of Stockport”, but DOWNTIME split – blame the drugs, not musical differences.
Paul and Andy started a new band, WIREWOOD, with a more American-style rock and country sound. In 1995 they organised a coast-to-coast US tour, playing acoustic gigs all the way from New York to San Francisco. WIREWOOD recorded two albums, achieving strong airplay on college radio, and for a while the band moved to Los Angeles, playing support slots and showcases at historic venues including The Viper Room, Goldfingers, and Canter’s Kibitz Room. With Mickey Shapiro (Fleetwood Mac, Brian Wilson) handling legals, WIREWOOD very nearly got picked up by Ted Templeman (Van Halen, Doobie Brothers) for Warner Bros. Records, but eventually the band’s luck ran out in LA.
Paul and Andy got caught up in day jobs and families back in Manchester. Andy kept playing in a series of bands, while Paul dabbled in the movie business and became an award-winning (loss-making) feature film producer. But both of them missed making music together, and eventually their new project NEARLY SKULLS was born.
NEARLY SKULLS’ music draws on Paul and Andy’s British and American influences, blending elements of The Smiths, Gang of Four, Foo Fighters and R.E.M. Lyrically, Paul has been increasingly driven to write about the chaos and corruption in modern politics and the implications of hi-tech control over society.
For more information:
