A beautiful blend of muted tones and breathy heartfelt vocals, Nicki Wells’ new offering ‘Holy Smoke’ is stunning, as a lover of Bon Iver and The National, it’s impossible not to love it.
Opening with a swelling loop of strings which dance around the muted, warming piano at the centre, ‘Holy Smoke’ quickly captures a melancholic emotion and an effortless atmospheric depth, comparable to Bon Iver’s ‘Wash’. As Nicki’s effortlessly captivating vocals enter, almost whispering the breathy, entrancing vocal line, the track grows elegantly towards the chorus.
Layers of vocal harmonies and cinematic strings grow as the track treads through the pillowy bed laid by the delicate instrumentation. Ebbing and flowing towards the deep bass which enters in the climax, the track doesn’t add to many elements and manages to stay the right side of trying too hard. ‘Holy Smoke’ relies on restraint, taking on only the elements it needs to deliver raw emotional impact rather than bloating itself with any elements which could pull it in the direction of a conventional pop ballad – it’s perfectly balanced, well judged and beautifully executed.
Speaking a bout the single, Nicki Wells shares: “Holy Smoke is about the process of grieving after loss. It explores the idea that with death can come a kind of grace. That there can be beauty in the relinquishment of gently letting go.”
Listen below:
