NINA EBA - MORPHO

A Closer Listen

NINA EBA deserves to be an international superstar, and is poised to achieve this dream with her debut album.  Talent, hard work and attention to detail have brought her to this point, the seeds of which were planted years ago.

We first covered the artist with an announcement in Ukrainian Field Notes II, followed by an interview in UFN V, which includes the historically significant podcast, AIR RAID SIREN: Mariupol – 27/04/2022.  In this podcast, she shares the stories of people under fire, while spinning music from the local experimental scene.  The words are harrowing, the music uplifting, underlining the spirit of the Ukrainian people in the face of the russian invasion.

A rocket landed only 500 meters from the artist’s house.  Reluctantly, she and her family left Kyiv, traveling first to Kremenchuk and then to Berlin.  NINA EBA now resides in Austria, but continues to rally for her native land as well as for others under illegal occupation, supporting organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.  As she reminds listeners in the podcast, “I want to remind you that while you are listening to this podcast, people in Ukraine are still dying,” a sentiment that is unfortunately as true today as it was two years ago.

While the last two years have honed her, they have not destroyed her; in fact, quite the opposite, as the composer has remained strong and retained her inner joy.  Her spirit is evident in her DJ sets, especially the ebullient Radio Rudina – this is a happy person with happy friends, even though they do spend some time on the couch – and elegant HÖR Berlin mix, in which she enhances the music with her own incredible voice.  This was also our first taste of what MORPHO would sound like.  NINA EBA seems to know every chord, every beat and every syllable of everything she plays, moving her body accordingly and generating contagious enthusiasm.

She also possesses a strong visual aesthetic, emphasized by the striking cover art of her debut album.  The artist is a visual and sonic chameleon, which fits the album’s theme of metamorphosis.  In the live video for Cloud and Mountain, her hair and eyes are each a striking Morpho blue, matching the color of the album and the lyric, “looking to the blue for answers.”  The song was “initially conceived as a song about death (but became) a song celebrating life.”  The most straightforward track on the album – and the album closer – is likely responsible for the comparisons to FKA Twigs, who is herself compared to Kate Bush: kindred spirits connected by their multi-faceted voices and interdisciplinary creativity.  As the track blooms from ballad to swaying club piece, one begins to see its flexibility.  Next month, the artist will unveil MORPHIX, a collection of remixes, in which the track will be taken directly to the club floor by BOMB DYLAN and Shay.  Each guest artist raises the tempo and percussion.  The former rises on a bed of synths, leaving plenty of room for NINA EBA’s voice; the second half is breath and techno beat.  The Shay. remix draws on garage and dub, contrasted by cool piano.

“Monday” also has the potential to cross over, opening with an alarm clock, stopping at starting at regular intervals, and incorporating the sound of a busy signal.  The slower BPM and the personal perspective make it perfect for R&B audiences, while the late increase in tempo, accompanied by a healthy serving of drum ‘n’ bass, increase its range.  The track sounds like a Monday, frustrated and lonely – until it doesn’t, the reflection of a personal triumph, after which the return to the slower tempo still seems faster than before.

“Doves” and “Sonce” also hold late surprises.  “Doves” is forsaken and lost, something we can’t imagine of NINA EBA until we hear it.  Not a single beat appears until the second half.  And in the last minute, the track turns tricky, with disjointed piano, vocal distortions and a sound like a screeching door.  Whaler’s remix amplifies the drama with a more confrontational beginning and drums throughout; since there’s no quiet section, the shift comes in the drums as they topple into drum ‘n’ bass.  “Sonce” (“Sun”) starts with crunch, abrasion, a buried beat.  It’s the only time we get to hear the artist sing in her native tongue, as she reminisces about those left behind.  One can hear the sadness in her voice, which is electronically stuttered and looped like memories of a shaken world.  The closing utterances change the mood to something resembling defiance.  ANDWAHN, Lostlojic and Space Candy all tackle this piece, the first two emphasizing its percussive aspects, the third its textures.  Each one is sonically distinct.  Lostlojic adds static and a series of “what”s, while ANDWAHN increases the density of the beats and Space Candy reduces them.

But the best tracks for experimental-minded ACL readers are “13” and the wisely-chosen first single “Cocoon.”  “13” leads off the set with a processed storm and a tangle of syllables, as if the artist has herself been caught in the storm.  The sparse lyrics indirectly reference the pain of the pandemic and the tarot card of Death (13).  But when the track shifts into high gear, look out!  The closing words, “I could be stronger,” come to fruition, the artist rising to the height of her power.  HYPERTEMPO increases the dynamic contrast by starting softly before adding the club-friendly “jump, jump, jump, jump!”  Instead of backing out slowly, the loneliness flees.  M4tt preserves the early syllabic jungle, but goes for a loping beat, a darker patina.  This makes the percussive jump all the starker and more dramatic when it arrives.

“Cocoon” is absolutely heartbreaking the track that most directly references the invasion.  The track “explores the search for a safe place” and the bittersweet move: Just to not die I`m running away / Just to feel strong I’m running away.  The music pulses and pounds like knocks on the door or falling rockets.  Between verses, the artist sings without words.  And then, as in almost every one of NINA EBA’s tracks, the ground shifts, this time to a steadier, more comfortable level.  Shay. does something very interesting with the remix, changing the track into a trip-hop song, the very epitome of comfort, a cocoon of sound in which listener and singer can recuperate.

NINA EBA has everything going for her: an incredible origin story, a generous heart, a contagious spirit, an exciting visual aesthetic, a gripping album cover, a gorgeous piece of vinyl, an incredible set of tunes – some for the underground and others ready to cross over, and a set of stellar remixes. There’s an entry point for everyone: podcast, DJ mix, album.  We’re stunned by what this artist has accomplished so far, and it’s only the beginning.  (Richard Allen)