NADINE – oh my

Nadia Hulett, Julian Fader and Carlos Hernandez are on a mission. With their project NADINE, the Minneapolis-New York trio are exploring sonic textures and melodies, playing around in a musical sandbox to create an experience that’s all about feeling. If their intent wasn’t clear enough, the lead single from their new album oh my – Ultra Pink – is all about resisting labels, characterised by slightly kitsch melodies and a climactic, searing synth squall.

NADINE aren’t constantly throwing curveballs at the listener with oh my though. Instead, much of the record is filled by warming lounge-pop numbers punctuated by Hulett’s honeyed vocals. They encourage deeper listening from the audience, who are implored to search out all the little intricacies. Whether that’s distorted, slightly warped percussion, fluttering hi-hats and electronics, small sweeps of strings or gradual builds in instrumentation that create a denser atmosphere, there’s often more to discover than first appears. Contigo breaks out of the formula altogether, Hulett’s spoken words and singing echoing around a trip-hop mix that’s genuinely quite eerie.

For the more casual listener the details can be lost in translation, meaning a few tracks can pass by without leaving a distinct imprint on the mind. oh my can occasionally teeter close to being background music in this way but diligence can uncover some sparkling laid-back gems.

Listen to: Contigo