You have to admire a musician who even writes song titles as intriguing, clever, and evocative as the music they are attached to, and as “Going Nowhere and Hope to Get There Soon” kicks off Nils Lassen’s solo debut album with a short burst of angelic choral music, it is clear that is the case here.
The titular “Fingerprints” is where things get moving; the recent single is a deft blend of dense gothic overtones and post-punk pop, a fine balance of haunting melodies and instant attraction. “A Miracle in May” is hazy and drifting, moving closer to the dream pop realms of his previous band, BlackieBlueBird, that perfect blend of pop commerciality and astute artistic choices, and perhaps a challenge to the more mainstream world to raise their game. A sonic barbarian at the chart gates? Absolutely.
“Midnight by The Lakes” is sumptuously rendered, lush sonics woven around a slow, darkwave-dance beat, “Lover, Speak To Me” is a mercurial blend of pop riffs and sweeping vocal harmonies, neo-classical grace, and chamber-pop grandeur, and “In a Night Without a Name” is the sound of gothic intensity being poured into an indie-rock groover.
Nils Lassen is a gifted individual. Anyone who can create, essentially, indie music by combining the lightness and accessibility of pop with the shaded pomp of the musical darker realms and do so without losing the essential qualities of either is someone we need to watch very closely.
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