by Philip Moss

In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago’s relationship with the natural world – particularly his love for the ocean, which provides his great challenge – seeps beyond the conscious and into the subconscious of his dreams. Like Santiago, Nijuu – the South Korean musician, now based in South East London – too sees the sea as her happy place.

Blue, the opening track taken from her upcoming debut EP, is her entry point to this world. A swirl of flowing, lo-fi synth patterns and cushioned, programmed drums, it’s as much the smudging of a painter’s palette, as it is song – a reimagining of the lens through which she views the sea into sound. ‘The sea is my world,’ Nijuu says. ‘We were in the water in [the] womb, but after we’re born, we can’t breathe underwater.’ Blue very much infers Nijuu’s version of reality is closer to fairytale, and if it sounds and feels like this, then we should head out to embrace it with her.

Debut EP, nijuu in the sea, is out on 25th June through State51 Conspiracy.

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