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Following the release of her 2020 single ‘Maybe Today (Satan)’, Hilma Nikolaisen wipes the slate clean with the announcement of her third album ‘Heritage’, which surfaces on the 12th February 2021 via Fysisk Format.
Known as the striking, former bass player of Serena-Maneesh (4AD) and for her Grammy-nominated debut album ‘Puzzler’, it would have been easy to continue in her self-perfected and enthralling brand of guitar rock. However, Hilma sets out to challenge her current reputation, exchanging fuzz and chaos for the mesmerising acoustic soundscapes heard on ‘Heritage’ — her most evocative album yet.
Beginning with ‘Maybe Today (Satan)’, Hilma’s new musical direction becomes clear and sets the standard for the record. With soft vocals draping the dulcet tones of an acoustic guitar and a chorus of flutes, Hilma boasts a minimalist yet powerful rhetoric, capturing the essence of a song by removing decorative instrumentation and leaving only the track’s skeleton.
Without totally dismissing her musical past in the grasp of discovery, the album features a reinvention of the track ‘You’ from her sophomore album ‘Mjusic’ and is aptly titled ‘You Pt. II’. Where the original version is a shoegaze lullaby, ‘You pt. II’ is the blissfully dozing recipient of said berceuse. Detailing a bittersweet tale of nostalgia, preceding track ‘Seven’ is also a celebration of history with a choir consisting of the Nikolaisen siblings and kin.
The central pull of ‘Heritage’ is memory, where Hilma explores themes of the past and future. Closing track ‘All In (Into The Outset)’ is a wholesome homage to all things yet to come, built upon a foundation of spritely guitar licks, playful whistling and boisterous basslines — a good-bye kiss.
‘Heritage’ is a seamless combination of stories and nostalgia, woven into an organic and elaborate nine-track journey.
TRACKLIST
1. Maybe Today (Satan)
2. Seven
3. You Pt.II
4. Heritage
5. Untitled (Where Are You Now)
6. Season Blue
7. New Kids
8. Time-Out Interlude