Toronto’s Nilo Blues is the epitome of the modern misfit. His upbringing as an Asian-Canadian amongst the mind-boggling expanse of western society left him feeling disconnected and depersonalised, and in 2020 he has embarked on a genre-fluid musical journey of self-actualisation that culminated in his stellar self-titled debut EP. Standout “Nicotiana” brings the project to a poignant and downtempo close, with a suitably paired visual.
With a sparsely populated production underpinned by a dreamy guitar loop and a skittering, trap-leaning beat, much of the focus of the track is on his one-of-a-kind persona. His vocal delivery oscillates between the swaggering nonchalance of his syllable-bending verses, to the honeyed melodies of the lovesick choruses. Performed with the same rose-tinted hue akin to modern lovesong, he outlines that, “I wrote ‘Nicotiana’ about my toxic love story with nicotine,” in an email statement. He continues, “I have an addictive personality and sometimes I find myself struggling to steer away. Sometimes I question if I really want the substance or just addicted to the idea of addiction.”
With that being said, “Nicotiana”‘s appeal definitely ties into these lyrical themes, with the addictive melodies and irrefutably feel-good vibe leaving you reaching for replay button time after time.
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