Entering a whirlwind of emotion with Nep’s new album, “Noelle”

Although she is not very well known, I am a huge fan of the artist Nep. The one time she went lightly viral for singing along to her song “Cottontail,” I couldn’t get enough of the joyful and high-energy spirit she put out. Nep’s new album Noelle overpowers all of her older songs, including her last album, with a large variety of emotions and genres that I think so many people could learn to love.

For some context, Nep is a 23-year-old musician who creates indie/bedroom pop music. 

According to an interview by AMP, “Much of her lyricism deals with identity, growth, regret, mistakes, and acceptance. Themes that constantly consume today’s youth. Nep’s music is tender and endearing, but it also has a wild side.”

Already familiar with her last album Nep’s Storybook, I knew that this album would be even better. Originally born in Daytona Beach, Florida, she writes many songs, such as “Daytona” and “Florida Girl,” about her hometown and how she experienced growing up.

Nep’s new album, Noelle, was released in mid-October, which perfectly fit the fall atmosphere of some of the songs. Four singles were initially released before the large album: “Girls on TV,” “All Around Beauty,” “Biketoberfest,” and “Florida Girl.” Once the official album was published to the public, eight new, unique songs were introduced that experimented with different genres of music like indie-rock, country, and even ambient.

One song that I play on repeat is “Black Car Song.” This song starts off slow and pleasing to the ears with a hushed piano tone that follows Nep’s whispery voice, then is ambushed with heavy guitar and drums to create an eerie and angry feel. This song centers on trying to get over heartbreak and the feeling of constantly crawling back to what love once was.

While “Black Car Song” fades out, a bouncy song blends into the mix, and that song is “Scar.” This song starts upbeat and stays that way, with multiple mentions of enjoying life with friends and highlighting the small joys in her life, such as a “Wawa soda machine.” Then, following the confident lyrics, a tone of anger is audible while she begins to spiral in confusion about controversy with a person she used to know, but instead, “I pick it off, I let it scar.”

One last song that sits at the bottom of the album, yet is never forgotten is “Florida Girl.” Along with the name, this song has such a fun dancing-alone-in-your-room feel while she sings about putting the past in the past and standing up for her emotions, with the lyric, “So what? The damage is done, what’s wrong with having some fun?” I love this song because she comes back from all of the relatable and beautiful sadness to lift spirits by singing about standing up for herself.

I could honestly talk about the lyrics and musical choices of this album all day because there is both fun in listening and creating the music for herself. Noelle is a powerful new album that you should give a try. If you enjoy listening to Beabadobee, Clairo, or even Laufey, then Nep is a creative new exploration for you.