Under white satin sheets lies Princess Nokia. In her arms, they cradle their sleeping partner. Gazing into space she softly serenades them apologising for not being enough unveiling their vulnerable side. Peering through the clouded lens that gives the couple a soft glow the audience gets an intimate peek inside the lingering affection at the end of a relationship.
The video for ‘lo siento’ was released alongside the track on the 3rd March. Once again Princess Nokia showcases her versatility with the single which is totally different from the first emo pop single ‘closure’ they released on Valentine’s Day and the liquid DnB-influenced second single ‘complicated’ released a week later. ‘lo siento’ is gentle and well crafted. Though the lulling piano contrasts the scatty electronic beat it works – Nokia brands the track “a bilingual love song, over a drill beat”. Like the previous two singles, Nokia tries out a different style to her previous pop trap sound and it pays off.
Despite all three singles sounding different, there’s a clear story that runs through Princess Nokia’s upcoming project I love you, but this is goodbye. Unsurprisingly, the three singles have been concerned with the singer being unlucky in love and we can expect that the EP will take us on a journey through the highs and lows of the love affair. On ‘closure’, the first single and the first track on the EP, Nokia retrospectively looks back at the beginning of her relationship and good times with her ex. ‘complicated’ sees Nokia reflecting on where the relationship fell apart asking “why do we fall”? With the newest single Nokia doubts whether they were enough for their partner.
Calling the EP a “7 song love letter to myself”, Nokia dropped the track list in unique way with a graphic of an iPod. Scrolling through the retro device we get a peek at some of the singer’s favourite artists including Alanis Morissette, Ashnikko, Beabadoobee, Clario, Evanescence, Gorillaz, Korn, Linkin Park, Moby, N.E.R.D., PinkPatheress, Placebo, Red Hot Chilli Peppers Shakira, Shygirl, Willow, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Among the three singles she’ll be releasing four other tracks ‘the fool’, ‘angels & demons’, ‘thank you’, and ‘happy’ on the EP which will be available on streaming the 14th March. As ‘happy’ is the final track we’re hopeful that Nokia finishes on an upbeat note having moved on from the heartbreak.
Lyrically the album deals with Nokia’s break up but there’s also a distinct nostalgia that surrounds the album. The video for ‘closure’ is an ode to the height of the emo club scene, in the video for ‘lo siento’ Nokia uses an Instax polaroid camera that was popular in the late Y2K era, the iPod graphic screams early noughties obviously, and Nokia teased the video for ‘complicated’ on their Instagram featuring a very 2010s looking rave complete with glowsticks and neon lights. We’re digging the throwback theme.
Words by: Molly Sutherland
Header Image: Princess Nokia
