Watch: Every Feeling by Nieri

Having appeared twice on BlackPlastic last year, Italian-born, LA-based electronic music artist Nieri is back with new song Every Feeling.

Starting with an understated intimacy, the record sees Nieri’s vocal set against a simple-yet-effective synth pattern. As it proceeds, however, Every Feeling builds towards a kind of gospel crescendo. Overdubbed vocal harmonies shimmer with a heavenly layer of reverb as the bass and drums gradually lift Nieri’s vocal performance. By the bridge preceding the final chorus, the song has a buoyancy that reflects the song’s personal, inspirational subject.

Every Feeling tackles ‘the theme of reclaiming personal power and embracing one's emotions without fear or reservation’, and it does so in a way that feels like a revelation of self-empowerment. As the song hits that final chorus, delivered in naked, vulnerable a cappella, it becomes clear this is the kind of song that reaches inside you and reminds you to love yourself. Nieri’s vocals proudly sit with their vulnerability, ‘I’m not scared of my tears, so I just let them fall, I let them show all’, inspiring us all to be okay accepting of our own flaws.

Nieri’s latest single is taken from the EP, Flow State, released alongside Every Feeling. According to Nieri, the uplifting message of Every Feeling acts as a catalyst for Flow State, closing the EP ‘with an uplifting message of self-discovery’. Featuring a track list that includes Where Would You Drive, and Rated X, Flow State is an impressive demonstration of talent for a new artist, and I can’t wait to hear more.

Listen: Rated X — Nieri

Following on from his glorious track, Where Would You Drive?, LA-based musician Nieri is back with another slice of fresh electro-influenced pop.

Rated X sees Nieri dive into sensual territory, realising sexual pleasure through dedicating himself to a single person. Through that dedication, you can truly understand and stimulate someone’s desires. The X in Rated X subverts expectations, substituting explicit for exclusive. In a description that is in itself somewhat alluring, Nieri says:

“In this song, I wanted to celebrate the profound connection that emerges through physical intimacy. Specifically, the joy of feeling appreciated and accepted in a long-term relationship, while also embracing the exciting exploration of each other's bodies in various ways.”

More playful than Where would You Drive?, but still delivering a powerful message, Rated X sees Nieri perform a verse as a rap and has a crunchy acid-tinged sound to it. Crisp synths combine with body-shot beats to create something sexually charged and infectious. Check it out below:

Listen: Where Would You Drive? — Nieri

Where Would You Drive reminds me of the tension of Tiga, whose pop was performed against a background of techno, much like Nieri’s here. There is also a drama stylistically consistent to the slow urban crawl of Ariane Grande and The Weeknd’s Love Me Harder, and Ali Love’s (remember him?) similarly titled Love Harder. It’s all clean lines — functional, tight drums, crisp synths and futuristic bass.

It’s the closing third of Where Would You Drive that significantly elevates it for me, however. As Nieri gets to the two-minute mark, he throws himself into the bridge. The vocals take a threatening turn, as the bass comes to the fore and echo and reverb takes over. Nieri sounds like he is shouting here, yet his vocal volume sits consistently at the level of just a whisper.

We get one final spin through the chorus before these sinister whispered shouts take us to Where Would You Drive’s close, amidst a clatter of drums. It’s a thrilling track, which manages to feel significantly more epic than its three-and-a-half-minute duration would seem to afford.

The sense of drama on Where Would You Drive all stems from its emotional core, which centres on a relationship in crisis. Distilling the fear of losing someone, Nieri says describes the inspiration behind the song:

“When an argument turns for the worse, you start questioning everything. When you fight with a partner, it’s easy to get caught up in your own fears, and point of views. The song wants to be a reminder that, at the end of the day, we’re all looking for healing, and that sometimes we can find it in each other.”

The result is a song with strong themes of anxiety and turmoil, yet ultimately resolving in a sense of hope.

Originally hailing from Milan, Nieri now channels a Euro sensibility into a high-energy sound from his base in Los Angeles. Where Would You Drive follows up on last year’s debut EP, Starshine, released in July. His ambition is to inspire and empower a new generation of pop music fans to be their authentic selves. Check out Where Would You Drive below: