Velvet Negroni - Bulli - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Back in 2017, Minneapolis-raised artist Jeremy Nutzman emerged with his debut project, NCOD, released under the moniker Velvet Negroni (a name inspired by a fancy cocktail at a bar in Austin). His unique soundscapes brought him to big audiences and bigger fans sampled by Kanye West, touring with Bon Iver, and signed to 4AD for the of his acclaimed 2019 album Neon Brown. A few years later, he is gearing up for the of his propulsive new album Bulli, a record that trembles with a slick and polished new intensity following a relatively tumultuous life period. InchI started using drugs again in a negative manner,Inch he says, InchAnd felt like I lost all my friends or their respect. And then there was Covid, and I was at home, then my CashApp got hacked. And because of that I got paranoid as F**k for a long time and stayed in the house.Inch The result is an album on which Nutzman cannot fully hear himself. It glimmers with an almost-uncomfortable pop sheen, with lead single Sinker whirring with a strutting positivity and rich instrumentation that is at stark odds with the lyrics. Touchstones of leftfield electronic sounds meld with nods to alternative rock, power pop, even tender R&B and deft hip-hop. It's a record that holds something anticipatory, at times almost frantic and manic, occasionally even sexy and breathy. Given the period of his life that it emerged from, it's understandable that Nutzman would feel fraught and uncertain listening back, it's a deeply accomplished album which swirls with fragmentary soundscapes pushing ever forward into somewhere that feels new and vital. Album Tracks 1. Pop Song 2 2. Never Said Peep 3. Pop Song 1 4. Sinker 5. Bell Clapper 6. Ebony Eggshell 7. Ballad Smaller 8. Shiny 9. Georgia 10. Foreigner 11. Animal 12. Sub Tieties