Recognise 080: NVST

If NVST’s expressive, DIY production style on the new record faithfully represents her, then her lyrics take things even further. Words are important throughout her output, from the lengthy track titles to her slow and surefooted vocal delivery. Previously, it’s been an effective way for her to communicate her thoughts about politics and society, but now she’s turned the focus in on herself.  “I wrote this record during quite an intense period of my life,” she explains, “after discovering that actually I’m gay. I was falling in love with a woman for the first time while breaking up with my ex-partner, so this record arrived during this period of huge transformation and loss. I was not even planning on making this record, but I produced a lot during this period because it was complicated to navigate.”

The confessional dimension to Nast’s recent lyricism continues at pace in Sixsixsevenfortyseven, a collaborative project with her girlfriend, the Dutch artist Zohar. Unsurprisingly, the pair met while playing a party together, and as their relationship blossomed they inevitably found their way into the studio. New material has come together quickly, resulting in a string of shows and an album that will come out on YOUTH in May. Similar to the lyrical content on ‘Dreaming Of Us While Slowly Catching Fire In A Place I Never Belonged’, Sixsixsevenfortyseven finds Nast looking inward to reflect on her and Zohar’s relationship. 

“With both of these records, it’s the first time I’ve talked about such an intimate part of me,” Nast admits. “It’s scary, but also exciting. Just like when I started producing, I’m processing myself a bit better through machines. So, I think my machine is my biggest therapist.”

NVST’s artistic evolution is a testament to embracing life’s chance encounters. It’s an open way of being that charges her music, imbuing it with an authenticity that can’t be engineered. Insulated from the most cynical aspects of the music business, it also leaves her next moves tantalisingly unpredictable. Once you’ve lived that kind of freedom, nothing can box you in. 

Listen to NVST’s Recognise mix, and check the tracklist, below.