Not just a record, but souls materialised on a 12-inch vinyl.
The dawn of a frosty winter day has a distinctive ambiance. Softened by the morning mist, the light is gentle and subdued, while the air, cold and fresh, fills the lungs with the faint scent of the night gone by. A fragile space, blurry and uncertain, where time feels distorted, and nothing seems quite real.
Hanging in this fleeting moment of stillness, suspended between the sunrise and the lifting of the morning haze, is Nick & June’s debut album ‘New Year’s Face’.
With the success of their 2023 EP ‘Beach Baby, Baby’ and the number of monthly Spotify listeners surpassing 98,000, the Berlin-based duo Suzie-Lou Kraft and Nick Wolf are a well-established act on the alternative music scene. Former lovers turned music partners, they create lyrical indie folk that captures life in the most sensitive of ways. ‘New Year’s Face’, released on December 5th, is the result of their artistic collaboration, underpinned by experiences of love, loss, and hope.
The first track, ‘New Year’s Face’, steps into a dense fog of low-fidelity textures that envelop it tenderly, creating a sense of intimacy. Kraft takes the stage, her wondrously soft and feminine voice bringing Lana Del Rey to mind. Beginning modestly, the song unfurls into a complex piece of varying tone and pace, interlaced with intentional moments of silence that direct focus to the deeply personal lyrics. It’s the beginning of an album, but the end of a relationship:
This is yours, this is my end for a lifetime.
Ethereal and immersive, the song drifts between Cigarettes After Sex and Sufjan Stevens, setting the atmosphere for the rest of the LP.
As the album unfolds, the mood shifts when ‘Crying in a Cool Way’ opens with unexpected, sci-fi-like synthetic notes. Suddenly, Suzie-Lou becomes the 60-foot-tall hologram from ‘Blade Runner 2049’. Bathed in pink light, she’s sweet and seductive. Her colourful voice, floating atop the electric track, delivers a dreamy song that is both vibrant and soothing.
From the heavenly heights of the second song, the fall into the depths of the third is abrupt and hard. Welcome to ‘Dark Dark Bright’. Nick’s vocals come forward here, resignation seeping into his velvety voice, intensifying the sadness of the already doleful song. The raw urgency of feelings dictates the track’s insistent pace, laying the foundation for the rich instrumentation. The sound expands progressively, eventually submerging everything around it, leaving the listener saddened but mesmerised.
Inside‘2017’, Nick and Suzie-Lou welcome guest collaborator Peter Silberman of The Antlers, whose gentle voice infuses the track with nostalgic beauty. Featuring an acoustic guitar that could be coming straight from Justin Vernon’s cabin in northern Wisconsin, the song is expansive, providing space for all three voices to entwine freely. Highly relatable, it draws inspiration from the paradoxical nature of life – it’s a study of the inner battle between yearning after something long gone and the simultaneous desire to move forward.
There has never been a title more befitting a song than ‘Anthem’, which names the eighth track on the LP. Emanating a strong sense of triumph and pride, it hosts magnificent brass arrangements coming from the minds of Kyle Resnick and Ben Lanz of The National. Their input charges the song with an orchestral majesty, unmistakably reminiscent of their work on The National’s ‘High Violet’. Contrasting the grandeur of the track are introspective lyrics concerning self-discovery, vulnerability and acceptance.
I look in the mirror I see both: the good, the bad and the all the rest / By the way, my sad jokes are not meant ironically.
The tenth track, ‘Husband & Wife’, written following the passing of Suzie-Lou’s grandmother, brings the album to a dramatic close. For the first time, Kraft abandons her signature softness, turning the vocals short and abrupt, which lends itself to the song’s spectacular orchestral arrangements, courtesy of Canadian composer Owen Pallett. Amid the intricacy of sound, a message emerges:
There is no right time, no right time in a lifetime / Lick your fingers for the sweetest cherry on the cake.
Simple advice, provoking reflection on the ephemerality of one’s existence.
Behind the thick layer of lo-fi murmur, Nick & June created an evocative album that comforts with its gentleness yet grips the throat with its rawness. ‘New Year’s Face’ is exceptional in both its emotional and technical delivery, each note, lyric and effect coming together into an atmospheric masterpiece.
Brimming with emotions, it comes directly from the souls of the artists, their heartbeats etched deeply into the grooves of the vinyl.
Hearing it is like drifting through a bright fog, not trying to find a way out but savouring the softness. A near-surreal experience that touches just below the level of consciousness.
Press play and listen. Feel. Dissolve into the sound.
