Review

Aya Nixon’s debut Afrikaans EP Sosiale Kwessies is a compact offering of various genres

Aya Nixon has dropped her debut Afrikaans EP Sosiale Kwessies and it’s the perfect introduction to this new side of her artistic persona.

The four-track offering chronicles an alt-pop Afrikaans sound, the kind spearheaded by MK bands back in the day. It’s danceable. It’s punky. It’s sultry. It’s sad and it’s soft. You really get a whole range of emotion in a very short space of time, almost making Sosiale Kwessies feel like a compact full-length record.

Opener “Supermark” is a grungy, playful ballad that segues into The Weeknd-esque synths on “Kuslyn Koors”.

“Glinster” picks up the pace with heady guitars and driving rhythms, while closer “Lelie” ends things off on a tender note.

If anything, Nixon is a little too versatile in the way she switches between genres, such that Sosiale Kwessies sometimes feels like it’s being pulled in all different directions, never settling on one distinct sound.

Nonetheless, she’s got plenty of time to figure out which genre works best for her. Or perhaps she’s just got to find the right balance. And this seems like the perfect starting point to begin that journey.