Just as we’ve finally gotten through our seemingly endless, Al Bairre-induced grief, frontman Nicholas Preen’s solo effort is out out of the bag.
A mere 6 months after the band’s final show at Kirstenbosch, we were uncertain as to whether any of the members would pursue another musical direction. En cue Nicpreen’s ‘Never Ever’: an upbeat, spherical teaser of an entire upcoming EP “La Da De Ha De Da”.
Accompanied by a charming, eclectic audio track illustration by Kobie Niewoudt, the track exhibits a uniquely-brilliant direction from Al Bairre’s inevitable shadow. Primarily driven by an unwavering, bass-dependent chord progression and Foals-esque, indie-pop guitar lines, the dynamic maintains Preen’s notoriously melancholy lyricism amidst upbeat instrumentals. Matthew Rightford’s saxophone lines entices you into an excitingly new direction, whilst the marimba bridge section might just take you back to those Al Bairre days of old.
The Capetonian muso admitted for a while he was uncertain about his decision to continue his pursuit with music. Although, “with more and more time passing,” expresses Preen, “I began to feel even more as though the ceilings, windows and walls had begun closing in on my little musical fortress and squeezing my precious tie-dye self into a miniature version who could no longer play his instruments in fear that they were too heavy and would now crush me.” A brilliant analogy to describe pursuing music in solitude.
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Listen to ‘Never Ever’ below.
