Though progressive acts like Tortoise would define the sound of Chicago’s Thrill Jockey Records by the 2000s, proto-punk-inspired outfits like Nerves (not to be confused with actual proto-punkers the Nerves) developed the label’s early aesthetic. Formed in 1997 by frontman Rob Datum, bassist Seth Skudrick, and drummer Elliot Dicks, Nerves’ approach was stripped down both in the visual and sonic sense. Over the course of their three records, concluding with 2001’s WORLD OF GOLD, the no-frills, jeans & T-shirt trio offered a traditional brand of raw, twitchy punk, most noticeably influenced by bands like the Damned and the Wipers.