Niki is a Pop artist who I have always thought deserves more hype and respect. As Pop has surged in the 2020s, I feel like she has sort of been overlooked. Niki has had some tracks go semi-viral over the years, but nothing has quite stuck enough to get the kind of hype around her new releases that she deserves. Although Niki is still relatively young at 25, she has been on the rise for many years. She burst onto the scene in late 2018 with a couple of riveting singles that got her noticed by 88rising. She dropped her debut album, Moonchild, in September of 2020. This project received a good amount of acclaim online, as it showed how good of a songwriter Niki is as well as some variance in her sound. Niki followed up this record with 2022’s Nicole. This record saw her drift away from the Alternative R&B she had previously been known for, turning it in for more of a Poppy and Folky sound. It was cool to see Niki go out of her comfort zone a bit with this record, while still keeping the lyrical prowess she had shown with her previous work. Niki recently dropped her third studio album, Buzz. I have been looking forward to this one, as it has been fun to see Niki grow and improve as an artist and I think she is starting to come into her own. Here is how I feel about Niki’s new album, Buzz. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from Buzz, and also comment on how you feel about the record as a whole!
Buzz gets going with the title track. I do not know how I expected this record to get going, but I have to say I would have never seen this coming. I saved ‘Buzz’ for my best new music playlist about 45 seconds into turning it on. This one has a sound and style that immediately got me hooked. ‘Buzz’ feels like a more Poppy version of the Shoegazey Alt-Rock that was big in the early 2000s. The guitar-driven melody has such a warm and fuzzy feeling; I love the buzzing distortion that comes in and out, as it gives the track texture. Niki’s charming vocals add to this song’s very welcoming feeling. Overall, ‘Buzz’ has the energy of a sunny summer morning. On ‘Buzz,’ Niki uses a bunch of very witty metaphors to describe how she is falling head over heels for her new partner. Next, we get the lead single from this project, ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing.’ Similar to the opening track, this one has a sound I would not have expected to hear from Niki. ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’ has an old-school Funk sound that could have come right out of the 1970s. When I hear this one, I think of artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to Sly and The Family Stone. The melody for this track is so groovy and sleeky, but it has a psychedelic element that makes it ethereal. The beat, although very light, is super chunky. This gives the song a bit of emphasis that it benefits from. Niki’s vocals on this track are smooth yet strong. She sings with the perfect balance of power and reservedness to make ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’ enticing. In ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing,’ Niki sings about how she knows she is drawing her new partner in more and more, and she wants this person to completely dive into their love regardless of the risks. ‘Colossal Loss’ returns to the 2000s Alt-Rock sound we got on the first track. The tone and overall chunky nature of the melody give this song a bit of a Punk element. Honestly, I was kind of wishing the melody and beat were played a bit harder on this one, as I feel like they would have so much more of an impact. ‘Colossal Loss’ has a very cool melody and the synths that come in and out give the song a super cool texture. Something is missing from this one that would take it over the top. For me, ‘Colossal Loss’ either needs to be a bit faster or heavier. Regardless, it is still enjoyable. Niki’s vocals on ‘Colossal Loss’ are great. She shows off her range on this one, hitting notes that give so much life to this track. In ‘Colossal Loss,’ Niki sings about losing someone in her life she was previously very close to. This person wants Niki back in their life, but she refuses to give them satisfaction or the time of day. ‘Focus’ is a song that keeps the 2000s Pop-Rock feeling going. There is also a tint of R&B in this one as well. I will be real, this one just does not draw me in much. The instrumental is not bad, but it is a bit boring. The melody is pretty cookie-cutter, and there is not enough added to it to make it stand out for me. The beat for ‘Focus’ is pretty laid back and does not do much for the track either. ‘Focus’ has the kind of sound I would expect to hear from a song at the end of a coming-of-age 2000s movie. This does not make it particularly memorable for me. It kind of stinks that I am not that with this instrumental because I like the vocals on ‘Focus.’ Niki has a conversational element to her vocals that makes this song feel like she is literally talking to the listener, which is pretty cool. On ‘Focus,’ Niki sings about receiving mixed feelings from someone and not being able to tell what they actually want with her.
‘Did You Like Her In The Morning?’ is a song that significantly slows and calms things down. This is an acoustic Folk-Pop track that is very simple yet impactful. I would not be surprised if ‘Did You Like Her In The Morning?’ ends up being one of the biggest songs from this record. It is very simple, but also heavy. The melody is very atmospheric but has a bit of a melancholy feeling that goes nicely with the sentiment of the track. I like how some synths lightly fade and out, as they give the song a bit of emphasis. Niki’s vocals on ‘Did You Like Her In The Morning?’ are delicate and sweet, fitting so well on this instrumental and making the song hit hard. On ‘Did You Like Her In The Morning?,’ Niki sings about wanting to know what her partner’s ex was like, as she is trying to figure out why this person still lingers on their mind so much. The soft and Folky sound we got on the last track continues on ‘Take Care.’ This one does have a semblance of a beat and does have a bit more charge in the instrumental, making it not so acoustic. Weirdly, the extra instrumentation almost makes the song hit a bit less. I feel like ‘Did You Like Her In The Morning?’ was a bit more riveting because of how stripped back it was. ‘Take Care’ is still a pretty engaging track, though. The guitar riff that drives this melody has a quirky and almost anxious tone that really sticks out. This track has elements that are welcoming and kind of off-putting at the same time, which creates a cool juxtaposition. Niki’s vocals on this track are very soothing, contrasting the intrepidness of the melody, which I appreciate. On ‘Take Care,’ Niki wishes her ex the best while simultaneously trying to cut them off for good. ‘Magnets’ is a song with a bit more life and energy than the last few tracks. It still is driven by a sweet and Folky sound, but this instrumental does have a bit more power than the several songs that precede it. The guitar riff that drives this melody is so warm. The other instrumentals that come in and out, such as the piano riff, give it emphasis and add a sheeny quality that makes the song feel very all-encompassing. Niki gives one of her most poignant vocal performances of the record on this track. The emotion in her voice is so palpable and helps this song feel so heavy in the best way. On ‘Magnets,’ Niki sings about a former lover who keeps pulling her in. Even though she wants to distance herself from this person, she can not stop thinking of them.
The second single from this record, ‘Tsunami,’ has elements of the Folk-Pop we heard earlier on the record, but gives that sound a bit more texture. The melody for this one is definitely driven by a Folk-Pop theme provided by the very warm and pleasant guitar riff. The melody is full of cool synths and sound effects that come in and out, though. These synths vary in distortion, making this song so atmospheric. I especially dig the high level of distortion that pops in at times. These weird distorted bits make me think of Imogen Heap, which is pretty damn cool. Niki’s vocals fit this instrumental so well, as the sentiment in what she is singing is palpable. On ‘Tsunami,’ Niki compares her infatuation for her partner to a tidal wave, as they came crashing into her life and now have a hold on her thoughts. Following that unique one, we get the final single from this record, ‘Blue Moon.’ This track has a much more straightforward sound than the one that precedes it. ‘Blue Moon’ is a Funky Pop track with a super groovy melody that gives me a stank face when I hear it. This track has bright, shimmering synths that come in and out which honestly kind of contrast the main melody and give the track a unique texture. I really dig the way the melody sits on the beat, as it makes ‘Blue Moon’ super sticky. Niki’s vocals on this track are a bit more poignant sounding than her performances on a lot of the rest of the record. I like how direct her vocals are on this one, as they kind of contrast the style of melody and make the song hit harder. On ‘Blue Moon,’ Niki sings about her past relationship, acknowledging her mistakes and faults but pleading for her former partner to take responsibility as well. ‘Strong Girl’ is probably the most sweet and ethereal sounding song on the record. This Folky Pop-Rock track has such a bright sound to it. The melody, which is driven by a guitar riff and complemented by synths and a piano, sounds like it is glowing. For some reason, ‘Strong Girl’ makes me think of early 2000s Christian Rock. The first artists that Pop into my head when listening to this one are Switchfood or Lifehouse. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Although that sound is cookie-cutter, it is pleasant. Niki delivers one of her best vocal performances on the record on ‘Strong Girl.’ She hits some pretty impressive notes on this one, and the passion in her voice makes the song feel so personal. In ‘Strong Girl,’ Niki sings about the struggles of people expecting her to be upbeat and strong, and how this weighs on her. This is an idea I can relate to a lot, and it is interesting to see someone express this feeling in a song.
‘Paths’ is certainly one of the most intriguing songs on the record. I do not know how to describe this one, to be honest. Weirdly, the first type of music I thought of when first listening to ‘Paths’ is animated Disney movie music. For some reason, it makes me think of the songs in movies like Aladdin or Frozen. The twinkly melody is very welcoming and warm, taking on a sort of lullaby feeling. Although I am not probably going to go back and listen to a song like this much, I can appreciate it. Niki’s vocals on ‘Paths’ are very soft and easygoing; her timbre fits this instrumental very well and adds to the celestial feeling of the track. On ‘Paths,’ Niki sings of regret from her past relationship and wonders how things could have been if she and her former partner fought harder for each other. The Christian Rock feeling we got on the song ‘Strong Girl’ comes back on ‘Heirloom Pain.’ To be honest, this is a track that does not pull me in very much. The melody and beat are amiable, but they are not super engaging. I am not the biggest fan of that Christian Rock sound, as it is pretty mundane to me. Niki’s vocals on ‘Strong Girl’ really brought that sound up for me, but her performance on ‘Heirloom Pain’ is not nearly as riveting. Her vocals on this song are nice, but they are not hearty enough to pull the quality of the song up as they did on ‘Strong Girl.’ In Heirloom Pain,’ Niki sings about trying to learn from the mistakes of her parents and not letting the pitfalls of life bring her down so much. Niki closes out Buzz with the song ‘Nothing Can.’ When this song started out, I was a bit worried, because that Christian Rock sound we got on the last song was sort of back. The melody and beat for this song and the song before it are honestly pretty similar in tone and pacing. There are elements of ‘Nothing Can’ that make it stand out, though. For one, the distortion that is put on top of the guitar riff on this one gives the song texture. The fuzziness this distortion provides gives the song a slight level of abrasiveness that makes it Pop. Niki’s vocals on ‘Nothing Can’ are great, which makes the song all the more appealing. She sings with a level of power that makes this song feel a bit heavier than most of the other music on this record. She hits some of her highest notes on this track as well, which also adds texture and life to it. In ‘Nothing Can,’ Niki sings about learning to fight for herself and find her own happiness, as no one and nothing around her can make things better on their own. ‘Nothing Can’ is not the most dynamic song of the record, but it does send Buzz off on a charming note with a bit of zest.
Up until this point, my favorite iteration of Niki’s sound has been the Alternative R&B music she was making around the time of her first album. I thought she was coming into her own at that point and was excited to hear her go in that direction more. After that first record, though, Niki pivoted for a more Folk-driven sound. Although her voice does fit that kind of music well, there was something about it that made it not draw me in nearly as much. When I heard the lead single from Buzz, I was very intrigued to hear this new direction from Niki. It seemed like she was going to go with a Funky Rock sound that stood out, and her vocals sounded excellent on it. Although there is some more of that Funky Rock sound on Buzz, this album goes way beyond that sound. This is definitely Niki’s most diverse-sounding record so far. She explores a variety of different sounds, ranging from various types of Rock to R&B to twinkling Pop to Folk. It is amazing how varied the sound of this record is considering it is only 13 songs. It still flows together well, though, and nothing sounds out of place. Lyrically, I would say this is Niki’s best project yet. Niki bares her all more than ever on Buzz, writing very relatable tracks that let us into her mind and heart which make the songs feel so real. Overall, Buzz is a good album that shows Niki is still growing as an artist; it is exciting to see her continue to try new sounds and start to find her place in this music industry.
EAST SIDE VIBES 