Nao isn’t so much an artist to watch as an artist to obsess over. Even before the release of For All We Know, her seminal first album, she was on everyone’s radar. Every single she dropped was a blinder, further defining her distinct style, which she was come to define as ‘wonky funk’, a sub-genre unto itself. It’s been more than a year since the album now, and after another summer of extensive touring, she’s back in the studio working on another one. In the mean time, we’ve got Nostalgia to tide us over.
Despite the title, which makes it sounds like a ballad, the song is as funky as any of Nao’s other work, evoking Sign ‘O’ the Times era Prince more than anything else she’s ever put out. The way the keys leap up during the chorus and the beat smacks you in the face at the end of each bar is a timely reminder that Nao is boasting some of the best production around at the moment. Much like Bad Blood, which is still her most well-known single, the lyrics ambiguously reference some past figure in her life, and it’s hard to tell whether the song is drawing from positive memories or negative ones. Certainly, the way the track gradually fades out in the final minute has a touch of the melancholic about it.
As for when we’ll see the next album, it may not be until 2018. Information is thin on the ground, and by the sound of it, Nostalgia isn’t even pulled from the track list. Nao also recently put on her first Little Tokyo Presents night in London, something which she presumably intends to carry on doing while she works on new music.
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