Whilst the genres and lyrical content both stay true enough to those on ‘Peroxide’, her debut album, and drift enough away from it enough to not be a carbon-copy, Nina’s charm and charisma remains intact, along with her clever lyrics and extremely insightful production. With singles released over the span of a year and half (starting in July 2017 and ending [for now] in November 2018), we’ve had teasers of what Nina’s upcoming music would be like.

Nina stated it was ‘an honesty account of somebody in their early 20s, giving a real window into their often ever changing life.’ I wouldn’t be able to come up with a better description myself. As one of the early 20-somethings with an often, ever changing life, I related to every song’s theme and it moved me emotionally.

The artwork is floral and dreamy, perhaps showing Nina’s comfort with the masterpiece she has received.

We start with ‘Sacred’, a narrative that describes a desire that some of us have of moving on from kissing strangers in bars to finding something a bit more ‘sacred’. My personal favourite lyric is ‘I don’t want a love who I’m only gonna love when I’m wasted’. A line so relatable it almost hurts. The production is unique enough in itself, nothing dramatic and nothing over the top.

Next is the first single, ‘The Moments I’m Missing’. Nina’s lyrics are perhaps more personal than ever on this album, but she does the incredible act of still making it relatable to people who perhaps cannot exactly relate to ‘I had a friend, her name was Fern and she had a blue bike’ but can to ‘we’d ride through the streets’. This song details Nina’s early desire to work in a bar and reminisces on the moments she has missed being ‘caught in the moment’. The rhymes are flawless and the song carries itself.

The third track is the beautiful semi-ballad titled ‘The Best You Had’. I was lucky enough to see Nina live last year (and I’ll be seeing her in April this year – stay tuned for a review of that performance!) and her description of this song was based around how you can be fine with your ex getting a new partner, but they can’t be better than you were. This track is full of emotional depth, and is kind of a post-break-up track, where you’re not crying into an ice cream tub but rather feeling a little bitter. The lyrics are intimate ‘Does she ever feel like me? Run her fingers down your back?’ and ‘Tell everyone I hate her ‘cause I’m scared of how you feel’ which conclude with the catchy hook in the chorus.

Fourth is ‘Colder’, where Nina discusses the experience of perhaps our first loves – when we are young, full of hope and optimistic which dramatically ends and in turn changes our whole mindset to becoming wary and colder. This track has elements of pop in it, with definite R&B tones to it. Lyrics discuss ‘Now I’m so cold, when they kiss me, they touch me, they leave’ and ‘Drunk crying on his shoulder, that’s when you get a little colder’. The narrative is strong, insightful and relatable.

The fifth Track is Nina’s summer single, ‘Loyal to Me’, often referred to as a f**k boy anthem, it lists all the elements that one should avoid in order to not obtain a broken heart, ranging from ‘If he ain’t tagging you on the ‘gram’ to ‘Swears you’re the one, oh but he’s not the label type’. The small elements of satire are not particularly new to Nina’s music (see ‘No Interest’) but she uses them sparingly and they fit just right. The song is insanely catchy, relatable and fun to sing.

Number six is ‘Somebody Special’, which is getting the recognition it deserves as I hear it playing in a lot of malls and retail shops. This song can be defined as a love song, stating that you ‘don’t have to settle’ to find someone who loves you exactly as you are. It is no ordinary love song, with Nina’s sharp wit enrapturing similes and imagery alike, ‘Racing round the city like a gangster’, that you can’t help but get trapped in your head.

Number seven is an outstanding track, even for Nina, a hopefully, romantic and painful break up song entitled ‘Is It Really Me You’re Missing?’. Another relatable scenario, when you cannot tell whether an ex or love interest is actually interested in you at all or whether it’s ‘just another lonely night’ for them. This is Nina at her best, as she desperately pines ‘I should help myself, but I can’t help myself’ to assertively realising that the interest will not realise what he truly has lost until ‘it’s really me you’re missing’.

Next we have a sharp change from the previous number, ‘Love Letter’. From my time on twitter, I think I can accurately declare this as the overall fan favourite. It almost has some flamenco sounding music production, and is most alike ‘Colder’ and ‘Loyal to Me’ in some sort of Pop/R&B triad. The song is catchy, well written and insightful, with lyrics describing how the person ‘wanted other girls, then you wanted commitment’ and how Nina’s ‘heart left you ‘bout two months ago’. It’s also a very empowering song about not letting anyone else define your worth.

‘Empire’ is next, a song I listen to on my daily commute due to how inspiring, but not cliche it is. The chorus is booming, with simple lyrics that don’t need anything else added to it due to the frustrations and worries built up from the first verse, ‘I started fading quick, yeah, when I should have been making it’. It’s rare to find an empowering song that’s not cliche.

‘Chloe’ is an interesting and emotional track, detailing how one of Nina’s friends became pregnant and now they’re ‘drifting apart’ due to their different life choices. The song isn’t shameful nor angry, but simply describes a natural progression of friendship. I really enjoy this song, due to the subject matter being very sincere and honest.

‘Things I Say When You Sleep’ is largely a happy song, however production wise it most reminds me of ‘Is It Really Me You’re Missing?’. The narrative is based on Nina getting back with an ex who she has let down before. The lyrics and simple piano based track are heartfelt and candid, ‘I think about you on the train, love how you say my second name’ and ‘You took me to heaven when I had no faith’. It’s the kind of reunion you rarely hear about working out, but it is portrayed wonderfully here. It also demonstrates Nina’s underrated vocal ability, always putting emotion into every syllable.

‘Last December’ is a brilliant ballad, released some time ago but now re-made for this album. It is based on the same relationship as the previous song (also the lyrics both describe sitting at a graveyard). If you are going through a break up, this song will make you cry (trust me, I’ve been there). Nina’s song writing skills never fail to amaze me and this is simply another highlight of her storytelling skills, ‘When I met you I felt like I wanted to save you, somehow’ and ‘You lit up London in my eyes’. The production is flawless.

The final song, ‘The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change’ is an excellent album ender. I feel it summaries the day to day life of being a 20 something, accepting that you will get over that break up, things change without you realising and the world doesn’t stop for anyone. The repetition of the title helps to ease any angst of anxiety the listener may be feeling.

Overall this is a wonderfully modern, insightful, artistic and relatable album that deserves more recognition. I look forward to seeing what other avenues Nina will explore in the future!

Words Emma Stevens