Brighton’s KIANVSLIFE has had eyes on him for a while, with revered production work for lo-fi rapper dereck d.a.c. and R&B star, Nico Cara. The intrigue is matched for his solo venture and he doesn’t disappoint. On new single ‘NITS’ we hear the eclecticism of golden age Odd Future in KIAN’s layered production and off-kilter lyrics. He’s even rocking a GOLF five-panel in the visual. He may wear his influences on his head but on NITS we hear him continue to synthesise his own sound – a blend of alternative RnB, bedroom pop and eccentricity.
Normally talk of eternal love is in a positive light, but here an ongoing relationship is aligned with quarantine, “Looks like I’m stuck at home again/Don’t even have to phone a friend/ Then you come running through the door/Why do you always want some more?”. The lofi warmth of a piano loop takes on an unsettling quality through its repetition creating a sense of entrapment reflecting the mournful hook –
Harmonies build, hinting at the ghost of another, but the sparse melody leaves us with a resounding sense of isolation. The days of quarantine that blend into another match the feeling of being out of control in a damaging relationship, letting yourself be drawn back in against your better judgement, over and over again.
In the visual for ‘NITS’, KIAN sits solitary at a table laid for four – alone but for his dog and a stuffed toy tiger. Even in the depths of its melancholia, there’s an enduring charm about it that shows his personality and flare. Is the tiger symbolic, a metaphor for finding comfort in solitude we wonder, or just for fun? We want to keep watching to try and work it out. The video’s aesthetic is DIY by necessity-it was filmed during lockdown by his mum. Many of its shots start off blurry and then come into focus – perhaps an accident, but no doubt a mirror for the continuing clarity of KIAN’s artistic vision.
