nasmore – Singles
nasmore – Singles Review
If you tuned into the latest episode of the SBS Podcast, you would have heard us spin Canadian-based artist nasmore’s single “Mind In A Maze” on the show, along with a bunch more of my thoughts on how this dude has been setting himself up for a lifelong adventure in the journey of making music. You run into folks like nasmore every so often within the independent scene…people that are looking for some sort of meaningful change or shift in the direction of the life they’ve been livin’ – essentially, people that know, deep down, that they were born & destined for something else, whatever that may be. Ever since I started listening to nasmore’s music last year through the series of breakout singles he released over the course of 2021, I’ve been able to sense the desire & passion driving him…to be truthful, I think these are attributes of his songwriting that you can hear finds their way into every tune he’s put out so far.
There’s a real humble, open, honest, and willingly vulnerable artist in nasmore…one that’s ready to take on whatever the next phase of his journey in life throws at him, and unafraid to detail what he finds out. The vast majority of the songs I’ve heard from him since he started droppin’em online, have revealed an artist with a whole lot of heavy things weighing in on his mind, but the courage to speak up about what he’s been going through as well…and ultimately, that’s giving him every opportunity to connect with YOU. For you see dear readers, dear friends – there’s a very solid chance you’ll find a lot of what nasmore chooses to write about is highly relatable, real, and very close to home…personal songs that cast an even wider net to catch & captivate us all through substantial material that has genuine meaning – that’s what we’re talkin’ about. And then every once in a while he’ll pump out a tune like “Let’s Get Freaky” to mix it up thematically & add a lil’ late-night mischief & fun too – just like I told ya on the SBS Podcast, the man goes where the music takes him, and his attention to detail has been second to none.
I’ve got five of nasmore’s cuts here to tell ya about today, so let’s crack into this! For those of you out there that aren’t familiar with his music yet, he’s based out of Saskatchewan in Canada, and he’s been rockin’ steady throughout the past year in a variety of ways. He’s a collaborative-minded type of dude – and more often than not so far, you’ll find nasmore has teamed up with a singer or guest-star of some kind from somewhere out yonder in this scene we share to create many of these songs he’s released. “#Lollipop” is one of the most notable exceptions in the sense that this would be nasmore entirely on his own, kickin’ out the jams with an icy-hot combination of sounds that has no problem at all keepin’ ya fully engaged & entertained. As the instrumental blueprint for what eventually becomes “Let’s Get Freaky” featuring singer Cris Hodges, “#Lollipop” is one of those crucial tunes to put out there in the sense that it’s a reminder of just how much of a role the music actually plays in these nasmore tunes. You know how the world works…once you add in vocals, that’s a cue for 75% of the people out there to focus on that one dimension of a song alone, and it takes years for them to realize how good the music was supporting’em all along. So I’m all about it – “#Lollipop” gives you a glimpse into the secrets of the sauce y’all…you can hear the clarity, technique, and uniqueness in nasmore’s production & sound – I wouldn’t say it’s anything really all that typical, expected, or too similar to what’s out there right now. In my mind, that’s always a good thing…it can potentially take a whole lot longer to blaze your own trail when it comes to making music, but as far as time & experience have proven to me, it’s always worth it.
HE is ALREADY proving that it’s worth it – as I told ya on the SBS Podcast, I’ve never heard a single bad nasmore song to-date, and quite honestly, I don’t expect that I ever will. Doesn’t mean it’ll always suit my own personal taste or whatever – I’m talkin’ about quality y’all – nasmore always brings his A-game. On the last episode of our show, we happened to play one of the cuts that IS definitely right up there with my favorites in his catalog to-date, called “Mind In A Maze” featuring the vocals of RyanMusiq. If I’m bein’ real with ya…this is pretty much the textbook definition of what award-worthy songwriting and execution is all about – the emotionally gripping vibe of this cut from the words to the vocals to the music…I mean…it’s purely exceptional stuff y’all, and a massive highlight in the early part of nasmore’s career. The way the acoustic hits ya from the very beginning with its melancholic melody, the crisp beat of the drums alongside it…the smoothness of the bass-lines that subtly crawl into the mix, and the 100% spellbinding performance put in by RyanMusiq…every single element of this track stacks up to a huge win for this collaboration all-around. RyanMusiq has found the perfect energy to suit this song – and let’s be real here – there are a lot of demands made on his vocals through the versatility in the writing, and he seriously rises to the challenge on “Mind In A Maze.” Not only does he basically have to shift gears between singing, spoken word poetry, and fast-paced Rap throughout this one experience, but he also has to be every bit as mindful of the morphing moodiness of the song itself as it twists & turns – and hearing this guy find the right way to hit each moment with such professionalism & precision when it comes to his energy & tone, style & sound…it’s genuinely something else. Sometimes, when we listeners are lucky enough, you find a collaboration that simply makes complete & total sense to your ears…and you know it when you hear it. This is exactly that – nasmore and RyanMusiq reveal an impeccable balance of strengths between them, and dive right into a sea of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that connect straight to the heart & soul like Robin Hood splitting the arrow. Examining the twisted history of humankind and how that relates to where we’re at today as a society – “it seems like we can’t evolve” becomes one of the most powerful lines you’ll hear this year…every bit as much of an observation as it is a desperate plea for that evolution to occur. While I’m not so sure I can be the guy to reassure the man that the change we need is going to happen during nasmore’s lifetime or my own – we can still be the catalysts required to create those better tomorrows. A lot of that comes from being willing to lead by example…and that’s where an artist like nasmore comes in, daring to write what others wouldn’t, be raw, real, and vulnerable with his listeners, opening himself up to share his internal thoughts with the masses, come what may. He might not even realize just how crucial art & music like this can be, and the role it plays in the evolution he’s so clearly yearning for – there will be people out there that listen to “Mind In A Maze,” consider the words he’s written, and become inspired to be part of the action…to get actively involved in moving society forward in the right direction, for one & for all. “And I see so much of the same, I know it’s gonna drive me insane…if I let it…” – the point I’m making is, that while we might want to move mountains through the messages we send out there into this world for others to hear…it’s genuinely true that shifting the mindset of even just one person is a mission fully accomplished & something to be massively proud of. nasmore’s music has the power and potential to do that, every time someone out there tunes in to check out what he’s created, and if there’s ever been a highlight example of that to-date, it’s right here in “Mind In A Maze.” Put yourself out there into this world as fearlessly as this guy has been…it’s inspiring, it’s refreshing, and it’s important to our evolution.
One of the more frequent collaborators you’ll find in the growing catalog of nasmore tunes out there online, is singer Cris Hodges, who shows up in various ways throughout the next three cuts I’ve got here in review. Dude’s got a very distinct voice, but he’s also a seasoned veteran of the mic & knows how to get the job done…Hodges is all pro, all day, and he put in a stellar performance on “Say Goodbye” back in 2021. Every so often ya gotta dig right into the pain of personal heartbreak and emotional turmoil as an artist…it’s kinda our thing, you know? nasmore’s no less human in that regard than any of the rest of us, and dives deep into the pain on “Say Goodbye” – and it just so happens that in the process, together they create one of the most memorable hooks you’ll find in any of the nasmore cuts available online so far. Built on rhythm you can feel, sensory imagery you can see in the words, and another high-quality pairing of talents that creates a fantastic balance between their strengths, “Say Goodbye” is a bold glimpse into the aftermath of heartbreak and how we can tend to relive that pain like it’s fresh, each and every day, until it practically consumes us whole. Much like “Mind In A Maze” put RyanMusiq through the paces when it came to the many twists & turns of the song’s melodic structure and the energy it required, the same is very much true of what’s asked from Cris on “Say Goodbye.” He also has no problem whatsoever rising to the challenge of tackling multiple styles & approaches to the mic within this one single, and as a result, you’ve got that magic of a collaboration that just sounds like it belongs running through “Say Goodbye” as well. All-in-all, I think it’s more of a defined cut in the sense that it might have more of a moodiness to it that could make it perfect for some moments & not as much for others when it comes to the people out there listening – but it’s fair to say that if you’re in that mode where you feel like you’ve been burned by love, “Say Goodbye” is gonna have even more to offer ya. There’s an empowering catharsis to creating a track like this, and somewhere in the back of my mind, noticing that this reoccurring theme shows up in nasmore’s music, it’s clear he’s still stuck in this pain even to this very day somewhat, but very much finding his way out of it through his art & music, and he’ll come out even stronger on the other side as a result. Turning tragedy into art is one of the most satisfying things we can do in this life, in my opinion – it feels good to get a song like “Say Goodbye” out there into the world and draw the lines in the sand that need to be drawn, if only so we know where we actually stand. The fact that nasmore can write a song like “Say Goodbye” is full proof that the healing is happening; he’s finding his way to the closure he truly needs, through an outlet that allows him the opportunity to express his unfiltered thoughts – it’s tracks like this that need to be written in order for nasmore to create any others, you follow me? He’s working through his pain and anguish in real-time.
Not EVERYTHING in life needs to be so serious however, and nasmore’s every bit as much aware of that too – in fact, you could argue that his single “Let’s Get Freaky” balances out the shifting moods within his catalog all on its own! I love cuts like this and there are far too few of’em out there. YES it’s about EXACTLY what you’d think it is…but I’ll be damned if this ain’t next-level clever when it comes to how nasmore has chosen to go about this. As in…if you were just passing by this song playing out of a store window on the street or something, you’d probably just assume it was another catchy Pop/Rock tune – but the more you have the opportunity to dig into it, you’ll find that not only is “Let’s Get Freaky” stunningly professional, it’s equally DIRTY AF, and proudly so. To me, that’s one of my favorite things about this tune…I never claimed to be the most mature of the bunch y’all, so you’ll have to forgive me – this theme makes me chuckle, and the innuendo written into this tune is guaranteed to raise YOUR eyebrows too, trust me. You’ll spin through this cut for the first time and think – ‘wait – did I just hear what I thought I heard?’ – and the answer is YES, you DID! And even more to the point – you KNOW what it meant. Lines like “you can leave a little fuzz like an apricot,” “volcano soon to erupt,” and “when I go, I’ll be back ‘cause I come a lot” – say what you like, I’m sayin’ it’s all genius, and I am HERE. FOR. IT. Look…the stone-cold reality is that it’s much tougher for a track like this to make its way to a supremely large audience, and you don’t go into writing it to begin with without knowing that – nasmore knows that already. Thankfully, it didn’t stop the man from making it ANYWAY, and callin’ on Cris Hodges to bring a sexually-charged & stylistically slick performance as the guest-singer – it might be vivid & explicit, but there’s no denying the sheer amount of genuine entertainment they’ve created together here too. Expanding on what was started with “#Lollipop” and evolving this idea into the tasty audible treat that “Let’s Get Freaky” has become…those that ‘get it’ will have no problems turning this up loud and proud.
According to the date stamped along with this next single online, you can find nasmore’s latest cut called “Adrenaline Storm” available tomorrow – and you LUCKY people you, I’ve got the details on what you’ll find right here, right now. Art doesn’t so much imitate life as it does document it, and a track like “Adrenaline Storm” is proof of that in full-effect. nasmore’s no more immune to write about what’s currently goin’ on in the world as many of you artists & bands out there do too, and in that respect, I suppose it’s fair to say it was only a matter of time before the pandemic era’s influence showed up in some way, shape, or form in his music, which it does on “Adrenaline Storm.” Trust me when I tell ya – it’s damn near impossible for anyone out there to avoid right now…just about every music-maker and artist I can think of has virtually had no choice but to turn to their natural outlet in order to make their own way through all the madness that’s been goin’ on, and rightly so – in many ways, that’s what music is FOR y’all. It can be a lifeline to those that make it, and artists like nasmore that are willing to address the issues plaguing our thoughts so out in the open, gives others the courage to do the same…that’s the key…evolution occurs by osmosis quite often, and listening to tracks like “Adrenaline Storm” will provide people with perspective that helps that process along. Enlisting the talents of Cris Hodges once again to bring the wild & menacing spark to the vocals, and the gripping voice & talent of rapper Beaux for the bars, “Adrenaline Storm” rampages its way through a series of thought-provoking lyrics and an equal dose of structural versatility. All-in-all, it becomes quite the epic experience to listen to – it’s a BIG tune, where nasmore flexes some serious muscle in the music he’s made, rivaled perfectly by the confident performances you’ll hear in the two vocalists firing up the words in “Adrenaline Storm.” As with all-things-nasmore, you dive straight into a plethora of emotions that have no qualms about taking you right into the heart of the darkness surrounding us, but also by the end, reveals the light of hope and optimism still reigns supreme. I look at it this way…the amount of heart & passion in nasmore as an artist, is something we can all connect with – he’s making music with purpose, and largely for a much greater good that exists far beyond his own personal success…it’s all as admirable as it is entertaining. If the pandemic era hasn’t broken him, which it clearly hasn’t based on the vibrant strength and resilient spirit you’ll find at the heart of “Adrenaline Storm” – then there ain’t nothing that CAN. “Everything will work out, it will be okay” as they’ll tell ya…nasmore’s “feelin’ optimistic though…about the future” and I can’t say I blame him! We’ll find our way through this hard chapter of human history, and when we come out on the other side of it all, we’ll be looking to leaders like nasmore to help take this planet to the next level. nasmore’s got a lot to offer this scene we share, and even amidst the darkest moment in our history, he’s proving his future ahead looks mighty bright…that’s good news for him, and ultimately, for us all.
Find out more about nasmore from the official pages below!
Official Website: https://nasmore.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasmoremusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nasmore.studios
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nasmorkmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tvygEhmRoY9ycjAWWfxSw
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