Los Angeles artist Nico Turner has shared a new song in the form of “LIGHTER,” the lead single from their forthcoming solo debut album Forever. They have been a staple multi-instrumentalist of the city’s underground scene from the moment their band VoicesVoices released its first and only EP. Since then they’ve worked alongside a stellar and eclectic group of artists that include Prefuse 73, Vincent Gallo, Austra, and Cat Power. Now they are on course to make their debut as a singer/songwriter and their first offering is a breathtaking preview of what awaits.
With “LIGHTER” an oceanic swell of atmospherics coalesce into something uplifting and irresistible. At its core, the song traces the growth of a heartbreaking crescendo that comes out of the end of a relationship. The song finds catharsis in the bittersweet volatility of such emotion which is in turn mirrored by Turner’s construction of such artfully poignant soundscapes. It is a sucker punch and ethereal purification of the soul rolled into a single slow-burning anthem of resounding guitars and tersely rapid percussion.
“‘LIGHTER’ is the sound your heart makes while moving through a relationship that’s wrong for all the right reasons,” Turner explained. “It’s the sudden wave of breaking that hits when you realize the connection you once had with someone is severed. It’s the slow but surprising build of a reckoning. It’s longing for a lover you already have and simultaneously accepting that the differences between you are vast and maybe even have a purpose.”
“The Heart wants what it wants / Don’t grow cold wondering why,” Turner echoes as the song begins. Their voice trilling with heartache as they mourn the wreckage: “I just crashed and burned it / Now it’s all over.” Be it the tenderness that radiates from their beaming vocals or their soul-sundering lyricism, the song is a deft introduction to what will no doubt be a deeply affecting record when Forever arrives. It’s a haunting emotionality that Turner can harness in their music — one that is foreboding as much as it is delicate.
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See Nico Turner at In The Meantime… in Los Angeles on Jun. 9.
GoFundMe for Forever.
Visit Nico Turner on their Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words: Steven Ward
Listen to “LIGHTER” the new single from Nico Turner below!
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