I had never heard of NY via LA alternative folk artist NAKAYA until her manager Facebook messaged me (I told you – the ways I procure music know no bounds), but I was instantly taken by her unhurried, conversational soprano, lyrically gliding like a Feist-infused Norah Jones.
Maracas, a hand drum, an acoustic guitar, and her floating vocals give “Colored Lines” a folkloric, forlorn fairy-tale feel – with the extraterrestrial synth at 1:40 bringing the track back to 2015. Visually, the scene opens with NAKAYA lying between two skinny bare-chested men covered in glitter while her lyrics “Say darling, where have you been?” align to my inner dialogue directly – “ Where have they been?”
The rest of the frames prove to be an exercise in imagery c/o director Kit Zauhar: color-shifting shadows, changing due to the absence and placement of light (and this is reminding me of #TheDress), Björk-esque close up shots of paint on skin dripping downwards and then defying gravity, a hazy club scene, and dust falling through fingers. The whole video feels like the very essence of love and life. Waiting – chasing – waiting – chasing. But if ever there was a good time to be “in the moment” – it’s now, so you can fully appreciate this ambient wonder from newcomer NAKAYA.
“Colored Lines” is the single off of NAKAYA’s debut EP Out of Breath (out this month). If you’re in the NYC area, she’ll be having a release party at the Bitter End, April 9 at 8 p.m. so you can see this wunderkind in action.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFkmxMuhabg[/youtube]
