by Jakob Sheppard
Nickybaby’s self titled album was a very intriguing listen. It has elements of folk and indie rock that combine to form one of my favourite indie releases of the year so far. It has almost deceptively good production, meaning that it sounds very rough, but that lack of fidelity only aids in conveying the theme of the record.
The first track that really stood out to me was “Sick” It is a quintessential example of the production qualities that I just mentioned. This song especially is very rough sounding, but it works perfectly. It indulges in themes of crisis and negativity but still seems to put a positive spin on it.
Another thing that is very exceptional about this project is the lyrics. Just like the instrumentals, they are very raw but have an honest quality to them. This makes sense considering the dark and personal subject matter. One track that perfectly conveys this is “She sees me.” It’s a very human song about somebody that clearly had a big impact on Nick, and for that reason, it’s my favourite song on the album. This track, along with others like “October Song” and “Wine Glass” are incredible.
The closing track, “Turn It Around,” has a real feeling of hopefulness within it. Nick told me that it was his favourite for this reason. “I feel like the melancholic album leads up to that happy final song,” It ends the album on a high note.
Overall, this album was excellent, and I look forward to whatever Nick decides to do in the future.