With her debut EP fast approaching, Neo-soul electronica artist – Nnic – presents a new cut from it: “Chase Dream”.
Dark and evocative, the latest extract from ‘Slow Motion Fantasy’, finds the Dublin songwriter facing up to internal angst and confronting the intrusive thoughts that can haunt you late at night.
Taking a hard left-turn from the sleek dancefloor orientations of previous single “When You’re There”, her latest single finds more in common with the twitching, boundary pushing soundscapes explored by FKA Twigs or Arca.
A cerebral listen that demands your focus, “Chase Dream” finds Nnic opening up about the process of overcoming anxiety attacks she has suffered in recent years. Speaking about the intense experiences and how she tried to overcome them, Nnic explains:
“The lyric ‘Run from every chase dream holding back the tears’ describes the feeling of delayed uncertainty. The track’s tone moves into a horror-pop sphere with the chorus drawing from the striking production found in Billie Eilish’s ‘Bury a Friend’ and harsh seductive percussion in FKA Twig’s ‘Video Girl’. The song is a peculiar ode to the experience of day-time anxiety running rampant into nighttime, which often ends in disruptive and disturbing dreams. Countless conversations were had with friends who were also experiencing flashbacks of uncomfortable and unsavoury moments in their past and felt completely lost in how to deal with them. It was comforting to know that so many people were going through the same thing and we were all forced into a self assessment of past and present self.”
With echoes of Billie Eilish’s “Bury A Friend” in its nightmarish feel and haunting vocals; the enveloping production and signature sound comes courtesy of Yurn, who experiments here with sonics derived from a metal bongo played via a 1970s memory man delay and pitched-down brass samples.
“I think the dark and harsh sounds Yurn created really express that frustration well and offer a sense of release to such an uncertain period of time.” adds Nnic. “I never explained what the song was about to Yurn but he knew instinctively the feeling and direction i wanted to go.”
“Chase Dream” arrives as the second single to emerge from Nnic’s debut E.P. ‘Slow Motion Fantasy’, set for release everywhere on 30th July 2021. A stylised, synth-pop marvel, it’s an EP that finds Nnic setting sleek electronic soundscapes to lyrical explorations of distorted realities, examinations of traditional gender roles and reappropriations of suburban attitudes. The EP was created remotely in collaboration with Yurn, with artwork by the award-winning Aoife Dunne.
Speaking about the ‘Slow Motion Fantasy’ EP, Nnic says:
“The concept for the E.P was born out of the need for vibrant energetic escapism whilst living amongst the slow outdated attitudes found only in cushy suburbia. Slow Motion Fantasy aims at the perception that living in suburbia is the quintessential ‘ good life’ but in reality, it’s the breeding ground for unprogressive ignorance.”
Powerful, seductive pop unafraid to get political, Nnic will release ‘Slow Motion Fantasy’ on 30th July 2021.
