Nisa – ‘Shapeshifting’ album review: A maximalist debut with plenty to unpack
THE SKINNY: Why be one thing when you can be everything? That seems to be Nisa’s ethos when it came to making her debut album, Shapeshifting. Taking strains of electro, pop, alternative, indie, grunge and beyond, the record is a melting point of a staggering amount of ingredients that will take a while to fully digest.
“Ready, set, am I good to go?” she sings on the opening track as the tension builds. You can feel her lining up, kneeling down at the starting post and seeing the path ahead. As the climax kicks in, she bursts out of the gate and sprints with the glitchy, hectic instrumentation powering her on. But as the album moves forward, the path she’s running down seems to twist and turn. Or maybe it’s that Nisa herself simply can’t decide what path to take and stick to.
“Wonky-pop” is the only word that could suit it. But wonky, or wobbly, seems to reflect an inability or refusal to streamline. Instead, it is simply that she won’t tie herself to any one sound or style. On ‘Pressure Principle’, she feels more like a guest vocalist on a track you’d hear blasting out of the speakers of an American day rave. On ‘Dance Alone’ or ‘Smokescreen’, you can see her standing at the front of a band, playing the rockstar. Then, on ‘Vertigo’, she’s the lushest of singers, offering up a suddenly soft and silky vocal that’s been hidden away for the rest of the record. She’s so many different things, which, really, is an incredible feat, but on a bad day or with less open ears, it could all be too much.
The influences that have melded into Nisa feel just as varied. As different sonics come in, whether that be high-production details or roaring riffs, there are elements of Grimes, Paramore, Björk, No Doubt, Lorde and beyond. As she seems to look across the vast terrain of what ‘alt-pop’ encompasses, it’s like she can’t help herself but constantly wonder ‘what about this?’ reaching out for new sounds and styles to try.
However, for the most part, the album manages to be somewhat cohesive. Within the maximal production, Nisa manages to balance classic band sounds with electronic additions by simply doing it all at once. It’s not that one song suddenly catches you out as an outright rock tune, or one is randomly techy, but the two sounds coexist somewhat in harmony.
It’s an album that will grip tight onto your attention by switching it up any second you dare to relegate it to background noise. On her debut, Nisa is well and truly kicking down the doors to the industry and offering up a vast repository with her full versatility on show. But, if you’re not feeling in the mood to be taken on a busy ride, you’ll be left bewildered.
For fans of: Blocking out all thoughts with busy music at unhealthy volume levels.
A concluding comment from my angry housemate: “Wait, is this all the same artist?”
Shapeshifting track by track
Release date: 26th April 2024 | Producer: Nisa + Torna | Label: Tender Loving Empire
‘Ready…Set!’: A song that does exactly what it says on the tin. This opening track feels like Nisa hyping herself up on the walk to the starting line as her various sounds and instruments warm up. And then, once the tension has built and the climax kicks in, we’re off to the races. [3/5]
‘Pressure Principle’: A discordant start grows into a glitch, energetic end. Vocally, Nisa’s line is quite classically pop here, but as the instrumentation only seems to grow and grow, it veers into club classics territory. [3/5]
‘Currents’: Even as Nisa switches up the pacing, her wonky-pop path veers and changes but never throws you off. ‘Currents’ comes in as the first tight corner, moving away from glitching electro and into a more wistful world of alt-indie. [3.5/5]
‘Dreamspeak’: This insight into a softer side of the artist is a beautiful addition. These gentler sounds capture the ears on an album that is so maximalist. Sometimes, a bit of peace is most powerful. [3.5/5]
‘Dance Alone’: With the grounding guitar line, quick-to-pick-up lyrics and little rip-roaring riffs, this is exactly the kind of song that will be stuck in your head for days, made for main-character energy in your headphones or shower singalongs before a night out. [4/5]
‘Smokescreen’: As Nisa traverses all corners of the alt-pop terrain, she always seems to shine her best when she dips into more indie territory. While the electronic textures are exciting and interesting, her use of guitars across the album is masterful with this delicious push and pull of raw instruments and production additions. [3.5/5]
‘Vertigo’: When this track kicks in, it almost feels like a different artist. Nisa’s vocals suddenly feel so sweet and angelic, floating across the song like silk or plush velvet. As the instrumentation drops back to just her voice and an acoustic guitar, there is a moment of glory that is unbeaten by the rest of the album. I can’t shake the feeling that she should let that shine more, occasionally stripping it all back even further before it’s lost in the busy soundscape she’s built. [4/5]
‘Breach’: Just as soon as Nisa’s vocals are found and highlighted, they’re buried again. ‘Breach’ is another incredibly busy track with loads of different textures coming in and out. The guitar riff in the centre is great, but on a bad day, this could all dip into ‘too much’ territory. [2.5/5]
‘Crossing’: Nisa is taking from so many different styles and icons across this album. At points, she’s dipping into grunge. Sometimes she’s pure pop. Here, it’s something like Grimes meeting No Doubt meeting Paramore. All of those pieces are great, but the packaging can be overwhelming. [2.5/5]
‘Trance Form’: This track is the lushest example of Nisa’s merge of electronic details and grounding band sounds. The rock elements feel almost pastoral, borrowing from Black Country, New Road or PJ Harvey’s take on the genre, while the production details crunch and glitch over the top, building a solid ground and a strange sky but in perfect harmony. [3.5/5]
‘Sea Glass’: For her finale, Nisa attempts to tie all the strings together, piecing all the sounds and styles together for one last time. It’s a tricky mix as she somehow manages an album that’s cohesive yet incredibly busy and varied. As a meaty release with loads to unpack, I think I’m gonna have to listen again and again to fully invest. [3/5]
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