Photo: Amber Baruch
Info: Dublin songwriter Rosa Nutty released her debut EP 'Bunny', in 2015 signaling her emergence on the Irish music scene. The focus of her music is thought-provoking lyrics delivered with dynamic vocal harmonies. Nutty's songs seek to engage the listener by evoking a sense of shared human experience against the backdrop of a lulling electric guitar. The result is warm, simple, yet sophisticated. Since the release of 'Bunny', Nutty has supported artists such as Rozi Plain and Elephant, appeared on Newstalk’s The Green Room, RTE Radio 1’s Arena, played at festivals such as Castlepalooza, KnockanStockan, Canalaphonic and the Other Voices Music Trail. Her sophomore EP, 'Pips', was released on the 31st of May, with an official launch night held in The Workman's Club, Dublin, the following Friday on the 2nd of June.
'Alternator' is tender yet morose, mellow yet direct and assertive, like it's predecessor, the backing vocals add nicely to the track, and it's an early signal of the overall mood of Pips which we discover toward the EP's conclusion.
Always simmering in Nutty's music is a restraint, to resist going full rock, one thing I love about her sound is the avoidance of acoustic guitar and almost permanency of the electric, which is nicely captured on 'I'm Your Baby'. The track warmly springs to life on 1:30, wrapping you in a comfort blanket. A certain Belle and Sebastian summer day-glo feel abounds.
'Fizzy', the first track Nutty shared from Pips again displays that mastery of delivering the ultimate sadness in the opening musical notation, in a paranormal way you are affected by Nutty's voice even before she's begun singing, when you hear the first few bars you are bracing, like Hitchcock ratcheting up the tension, it's a powerful ability to possess in music.
There's a small shift in sound on closing track 'Drive', keys and harmonies pushing towards very contemporary and current alternative sounds. It's ambient, ethereal and dream-pop in tone, it could easily be on the soundtrack to an independent film. It's a soft landing to an EP that never really shoots off to the stars, and in many ways that is something to be cherished, there doesn't need to be a brash hoe-down just for the sake of it. There's no need to 'break up the tracks' or present an artificial contrast, Pips will simply mesmerise you of it's own volition, and it's very much a being in the moment collection of songs, absorb, disconnect and be rewarded.
Rosa Nutty is showcasing two things here as well, a vocal ability most people would dream about sounding like, and a highly tangible and ever-improving knack for thought-provoking lyrics, all that is required for her to succeed in an artistic sense is to fully embrace her musical impulses, because everything is aligning so well so far for her and us.
Look / Like / Listen & Follow:
Website: http://www.rosanutty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosa.nutty/
Bandcamp: https://rosanutty.bandcamp.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RosaNutty
