Nieri takes a deep dive into modern life and the fronts that we put up to survive it on his atmospheric and intense new album Architecture
A release that feels absolutely stacked full of creative appeal and a vibrant, relentlessly ambitious array of styles and moods, Nieri’s new album Architecture is a collection of tracks that does a stellar job of showcasing exactly what the artist is about and the boundless potential of the project, melding introspection with catchy appeal with reckless abandon.
The atmospheric and intense ‘Andy Warhol’ kicks things off, dismantling themes like art and the human condition with a sound and style that feels both wildly colourful and deceptively dark, gritty and murky but effortlessly engrossing and packed full of vividly catchy and captivating moments.
‘Sober’ follows and provides one of the album’s most vulnerable and introspective moments, though you’d never guess from the endlessly upbeat and invigorating nature of the sound, making for one of the poppiest and most electric releases that you’re likely to hear anytime soon. This dichotomy between the chaos of the sound and a narrative begging for something to ground him and offer a moment of clarity.
The title track ‘Architect’ leans on a more seductive R&B-inspired sound that has some instantly compelling grooves, oozing a sense of swagger and composure that feels instantly compelling. The artist’s impassioned vocals here, especially in a show-stopping chorus, continue to add a sense of rawness and heart to a sound that is brimming with creativity and exciting moments.
A more stripped-back side of the artist’s sound shows up on ‘People Pleaser’, with its sonic intricacies and nuances taking a backseat to a heartfelt narrative about people who seem to completely lose themselves in their bid to make everybody happy and please whoever they can, making for a resonating listen that hits hard and hits often.
Punchy pop rhythms flood the dancey ‘Outside’, a track that feels like it has more of a straightforward, seductively charged feel to it, whereas ‘Boys At The Gym’ has a stylish swagger and earworm of a hook that clings to you and as he delves further into euphoric and more risqué themes.
‘Disassociate’ is a track has an uneasy and murky feel to it, with the repeated refrain of “let’s get unconscious” early on setting the tone for a mostly spoken track that is packed full of atmospheric tension and a truly unique feel.
There is a bittersweet feel to ‘Fun’, a track that feels positive on the surface and has this really engrossing and hard-hitting production that is packed full of nice moments, but the “enjoy it while it lasts” has an ominous feel to it that feels more like a word of warning than reassurance that worse times are ahead as we grow up and things change.
There are shots fired at the USA on ‘American Delusion’, as the not-so-parallel nature of how the states see themselves and how they actually are are laid bare, especially in increasingly fraught modern times where division and hardship feel as prevalent as they ever have in recent memory.
The album closes out with the stylish ‘Do You Wanna?’, a track that explores themes like vying for the spotlight and reaching for the stars and the seedy realities that often come as part of the price. The track does what a lot of the album does in terms of saying the quiet part out loud, with Nieri more than happy to point out some of the more bleak and harsh truths of reality and modern life that often get swept under.
Delving into themes like what it is to be human, what it is to be successful, what it is to live in America, and the facades and masks that we wear to try to make it all work, the album is packed full of powerful messaging that is packaged in gorgeous and unsettling ways. His endlessly creative sound delves into genres like funk, electronica, and dancey club music, but this sense of existential dread always finds a way to seep through, and it makes the listening experience feel all the more real and rewarding as a result.
