[8/10]
Nick Wilson isn’t exactly a new face when it comes to the music scene, releasing his third EP, Closer, this week and hitting number 21 in the singer-songwriter chart. However, the nineteen-year-old is an unfamiliar face to many in the world of music as an unsigned artist, although it is difficult to understand why after listening to his latest EP.
Closer consists of four lovely, acoustic tracks that slide smoothly into the next, making this a really listenable EP. It begins by lulling us in with ‘Shadows in the Dark’, a truly beautiful introductory track that excels at exhibiting Nick’s vocal range in the harmonies. This song is a particularly moving track with a gentle vocal that drips with honesty and sincerity. The lyrics are sung as words of encouragement and this marks it as a very intimate and heartfelt song directed towards someone he cares about.
The theme of love is continued in the lead track, ‘Closer’, which is definitely the most marketable and well produced song on the EP. The development in this song builds up to the final, emotion loaded verse which makes it one of his best songs yet. ‘All For You’ compiles the gentleness of the first track with a more upbeat tone and guitar melody. Nick’s vocal is very relaxed and pure with gorgeously flowing harmonies giving it a chilled vibe which makes you want to sway along.
‘Next To Me’ leaves us with the most upbeat track of the collection and possibly the most feel good of Nick’s songs. It’s an innocent and upbeat song which seems to reflect the triumph of the EP. The progression from the first gentle and sleepy track which almost works as a lullaby to this last track with its melodic vocal which makes this record appear like an awakening or realisation as it builds to the jingly and upbeat finale.
It is clear that Nick has found his sound, sticking to a similar style in Closer as he has in previous EP’s, however; it appears to have been executed better. The tracks have a professional quality to them despite being recorded and produced in his bedroom and it’s evident that Nick has really tightened up on his production skills since the first EP, Darkest Hour, was released in 2013, leading him to make Closer his best EP yet.
