NUUXS ‘Heirloom’ review.
Musicians are always talking about writing songs as a cathartic experience. In the case of French-born, London-based singer Nuuxs, hearing her talk about the inspiration behind the tracks on her debut album “Heirloom”, you can easily see why. The album, described as “a collection of personal stories, fragments of her life steeped in memories”, picks up from where her previous release “Red Tape” ended and feels as honest as they come.
A slick collection of soulful pop songs, “Heirloom” is full of tracks like “Modern City” where the songwriter wraps her lyrics up in some wonderfully infectious pop. Easy to digest, these are songs that are going to hang around in your head for a long time. Inspired by a mix of RnB, pop and hip-hop, tracks like “Dreamers” are heartfelt while tracks like “Starship” are gentle but have that familiar disco beat that runs through the core of her music.
However, that core is also hugely personal and is described by Nuuxs as a piece of work that “represents everything I’ve inherited in my life so far”. If you need further evidence of this point your mouse in the direction of “Part of Me” a hugely emotional song where Nuuxs opens about time spent in a cult as a child, and the abusive behaviour of her stepfather. A mixture of dreamy vocals and almost rap-like vocals, it’s one of the most honest tracks you’re likely to hear an artist put down on record and one that, by her own admission, was incredibly difficult to do.
While “Heirloom” is steeped in tales of her troubled and difficult past making it a hard listen lyrically at times, the gentle pop influences and the infectious disco splashes also make it one that it is easy to get hooked into. What that means for the listener is that, if you’re looking for an album full of soul-baring honesty, or what that is full of gentle but polished pop, “Heirloom” will tick both boxes for you.
