It’s been a very long time coming, but Nina Nesbitt’s sophomore album couldn’t be more worth the wait.
It’s been a long five years since the release of debut record, Peroxide, and the Scottish singer-songwriter has done a lot of growing up. The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change is a stellar example of everything an album should be. The sound is unique, it could only be Nina Nesbitt, and the storytelling is striking.
As the record opens with introductory track ‘Sacred’, you’re plunged into the world ofThe Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change. Watching the underwater, lotus-filled Spotify visualizer as the sound of water runs over the singer’s trademark soft synths – it’s clear that Nesbitt has poured herself over this record.
A tale of growing up, learning to live with change is at the centre. 2017 single ‘The Moment I’m Missing’ kicks things off, dripping with nostalgia, and the closing title-track is the most reassuringly beautiful take on growing up. Nina Nesbitt has a way of looking at that world like no other.
Every track between those is a story from Nesbitt’s journey the last five years. ‘Empire’ was first written with a football supercut in mind but soon “turned into this personal song about failing at something that you love and then coming back from that”. The 24-year-old was dropped from her label in 2016 and spent the time unsigned, teaching herself to produce her own music. “Put in the hours until I have earned it, show everybody what I deserved”, Nesbitt coos. Coming back from that is a story that makes The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Changeeven more triumphant.
Elsewhere, ‘Chloe’ is an ode to a friend falling pregnant at 22-years-old, ‘Colder’ is a warning of the effects of heartbreak and ‘The Best You Had’ is an honest letter to an old beau. The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change speeds up in places too. The word ‘bop’ could have been invented for the acoustic-driven ‘Loyal To Me’ and ‘Love Letter’ breaks from a Latin-esque verse to the heaviest R&B chorus on the album.
Amongst all the superbly-told stories, it’s easy to forget just how astonishing the album is sonically. In a pop industry where finding a unique electropop sound is so hard, no-one does what Nesbitt does. The ‘Somebody Special’-singer’s trademark airy, bedroom style production is aided by names such as Fraser T. Smith, Lostboy and Jordan Riley.
Picking a standout from The Sun Wil Come Up, The Seasons Will Changeis next to impossible. New single ‘Is It Really Me You’re Missing’ is a contender. A raw battle to find the truth, Nesbitt’s voice cracks with frustration. Otherwise, the way the tangible ‘Things I Say When You Sleep’ flows into ‘Last December’ could well be the most special eight minutes of the record.
From start to finish, Nina Nesbitt has perfected The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change. February is far too early to talk about albums of the year. But, really, is it going to get better than this?
Rating – 5/5
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