Nathaniel Stephen exceeds all expectations on debut EP, "North Star"
Review by Austin Sher
Very recently released on August 31st, 2020, Nathaniel Stephen has put forth has debut EP, North Star. Join us as we deep dive into our thoughts on the record, in addition to a short bio on the artist himself.
Nathaniel Stephen started playing music in Michigan performing at several restaurants and bars around Saginaw, Bay City, Flint, and Frankenmuth. Eventually he formed several bands such as The Gloaming, The Futureholds, and Crush. After moving to Boston, he formed a band with his roommate and fellow musician called Winterlegs and played several shows throughout the city.
Now Nathaniel travels around the country living state to state from New Orleans to New Mexico and now California writing and recording music. Some of his musical influences include Radiohead, Nada Surf, Jeremy Enigk, Travis, Pedro The Lion, Denison Witmer, Wild Beasts, Fleet Foxes, DCFC, Superdrag, Sufjan Stevens, and so many more. Even with this small selection of artists who have changed Nathaniel in a way, it’s easy to hear a bit of each of those influences throughout the record. North Star is like a super album highly reminiscent of Radiohead, Sufjan, Neutral Milk Hotel, with a dash of Animal Collective for good measure. That sounds like a winning recipe to us.
Not being overly familiar with the work of Nathaniel before hearing the album, we have to make it as clear as possible that everything we heard was far above our expectations. Seriously, you can tell a great deal of effort went into this piece of work, especially on the production side. While Nathaniel’s voice certainly shines through and provides a narrative, the overall production and instrumentation choices are what took it to the next level. Anyone with basic software can add in bleeps and bloops to their music, but when done correctly and with purpose, can really change how an album is perceived. We feel that Nathaniel really orchestrated North Star in a way that is so different in vein than similar indie rock albums these days.
It would be in your best interest to take a listen to this, we promise you won’t regret. At a total runtime of 22 minutes, it’ll certainly be worth your while! For all things Nathaniel Stephen, to listen to North Star, and to keep up with all future releases, please check out the following links below.
Like what you read? Follow our social media for the latest music information:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wewriteaboutmusic/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/itsamusicblog
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/itsamusicblog
