When The Strokes’ hiatus began lasting longer than expected, Nikolai reached into an old shoebox of poems and rants written years ago.
[2] Nickel Eye's debut album, The Time of the Assassins, released on January 27, 2009, via Rykodisc, is a "pretty stripped down" collection of guitar, bass, drums, and a touch of mellotron.
It is musically inspired by some of his favourite artists, such as Neil Young, Frank Black, Leonard Cohen and The Kinks.
The artwork is reminiscent of Lynd Ward's Gods’ Man, a collection of woodcuts considered to be one of the first graphic novels.
The lyrics and theme for The Time of the Assassins found their impetus during a road trip across the United States of America when Nikolai was nineteen.