Ilia Nicoll

i in team

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Oct 30, 2015

8
Ilia Nicoll is a Newfoundland-based singer-songwriter with an unaffected, expressive voice, and a real way with words. The best songs on the record dive deep into different styles of music, from the wistful doo-wop of "Hazel" to the party-ska of "Another Hero Falls." "In Your World," meanwhile, is the anti-mansplaining folk-rock ballad you may not have known you needed.
 
But Nicoll isn't just a pastiche artist — she's more interesting than that. She subtly plays with the rhythms and conventions of the genres she uses, placing melodic turns and codas where they aren't expected, making you pay close attention to her lyrics. And she's clearly a sucker for a good interior rhyme, and a bad pun — both excellent qualities in a girl, really.
 
Though the diverse musical styles can make i in team seem more like a loose collection of good singles than a cohesive album, the songs themselves are nicely executed, and it's only Nicoll's second release, a good time for a young songwriter to experiment and stretch. Her next album will probably be fantastic; for now, i in team is a very satisfying appetizer.
(Independent)

Latest Coverage