Nice Cold Nation – Time (Album – Nice Cold Nation)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Wave-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Nice Cold Nation is a French band originally set up as a solo-project by Christophe D. Several self-released productions saw the daylight. The previous album “Life” (2019) was meant as the first chapter of a trilogy and featuring female vocalist Caroline GD who joined in.
Content: “Time” is the second part of the trilogy and features 9 songs. This work sounds a bit more Wave-Pop like, but remains supported by melancholia. Some passages are reminding me of The Cure and Trisomie 21. Caroline GD already did some female backing vocals, singing on 4 songs.
+ + + : “Time” sounds sweet as sugar although supported with a melancholic taste. Sound-wise the work reminds some 80s productions, mixing guitar and mainly electronics. “Time” is an easy listening production reaching its ultimate point at “Drama”. Just as the previous album “Life” I like the black & white front cover.
– – – : Despite of this band’s good intentions, “Time” is suffering from a lack of professional production. The songs remain rather monotone, which is even accentuated by the less passionate vocals. The French accent is too sexy when a female artist is singing (think about Miss Kittin) in English, but unfortunately it’s not that sexy when Christophe D. is singing.
Conclusion: “Time” can’t really convince me; I like the influences, but the production is suffering from a lack of inspiration and achievement.
Best songs: “Drama”.
Rate: (5½).
Artist: www.nicecoldnation.com
About Nice Cold Nation
Nice Cold Nation is the wave-pop and dark-wave project of French musician Christophe D., joined by backing vocalist Caroline GD. The project released “Sunless” in 2015 and “Collapse” in 2016, followed by the “Crossroads” EP in 2018. “Life” (2019) opened a planned trilogy continued by “Time” (2020) and closed the following year with “Invictus” (2021). Nice Cold Nation went on to release “Safe” (2022), “Cartésiens” (2023) and the “Êtres Contraires” EP (2023), the last two drawing on the poetry of writers such as Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine.
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