Melbourne-based artist, Nick Keogh debuts lush modern folk-pop masterpiece in EP, '20 & Bored'
Melbourne-based singer/songwriter, Nick Keogh has delivered a lush take on modern folk-pop in his debut EP, ’20 & Bored’. It’s a collection of foot-tapping and heart-breaking songs spawned from time in lockdown, produced by James Seymour (Merpire, Feelds, KIT), beautifully blending warm pop production against soaring horns and biting lyrics.
’20 & Bored’ is a deep dive in to emo-fuelled folk that’s lush in textures, from woody acoustic guitar tones, spring-reverbed electric, simplistic and effective percussion, deep bass, and a brilliant touch of brass, all forming the foundation on which Nick can set his storytelling. His vocal delivery shifts from breathy to rapturous, and when the moment comes, you can feel Nick singing with his whole body. ’20 & Bored’ could be described as Death Cab for Cutie meets Josh Pyke, with the latter’s Aussie-ism poking right through, which adds a great deal of comfort for the listener - our accent can make anything melancholic sound optimistic - and Nick Keogh captures that.
It’s a fantastic listen, with stand out tracks being the emotive opener, ‘Sweater Weather’, the duet with Stella Who on ‘Let me Let You Down’, and those triumphant horns on ‘Red Flags’.
Of ‘20 & Bored’ Keogh says “I wrote a lot of this EP throughout the 2020 lockdowns... like a lot of people, I had a lot of time to reflect on what was happening around me. Writing this EP was escapism, I needed to get out of my own head and creating this project helped me do that.”
After cutting his teeth in rural NSW and supporting artists like Bakers Eddy, Ruby Fields and Approachable Members of Your Local Community, Nick is stepping into his own in his follow up release.
Creating disarming and catchy lyrics, Keogh draws from influences such as Vance Joy, Didirri and Pheobe Bridgers. The now Melbourne based 22-year-old blends his unique brand of tongue-in-cheek storytelling with soaring choruses and warm folk-pop production.
Immerse your ears in this fantastic debut EP from Nick Keogh. ’20 & Bored’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
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