Up and Comers Music

NEBO’s Drifting (featuring Maria Campbell and Adam Hill) feels like a magic carpet ride through perfectly cloudless skies. Brought to us by a philosophy professor and his team of musicians in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the track features several eccentricities that cultivate this sense of near-perfect tranquility: a warm upright bass in a leading role, a prominent celesta-esque synth, and a very relaxed tempo. Perhaps the most notable characteristic of “Drifting” is the band’s focus on giving each individual instrument and musical texture plenty of space to breathe, a rare approach in today’s maximalist musical landscape. 

The track opens with muted Eleanor Rigby-esque strings and celesta-sounding keys to set the tone. About a half minute in, silken vocals enter, taking center stage and completely elevating the track to its ensuing warm and gooey state. True to the track’s title, the song moves at a leisurely pace with seemingly no endpoint, encouraging us to take it easy in this lightning-paced world. The combination of upright bass and the keys accompanying the delightfully warm vocals only further envelope us in the song’s blissful atmosphere. In both texture and melody, the track achieves a sense of placidity that settles the nerves.

Searching for context here is not particularly difficult, as the artists make clear in their biography that they are from Prince Edward Island, a one-of-a-kind locale for the type of tranquility embodied in “Drifting”. PEI’s combination of agricultural and natural scenery along with its picturesque architectural styles provide a lens through which we can more easily understand the serenity of the music. And in terms of musical context, the track faintly calls to mind the Velvet Underground’s collaborations with Nico (albeit with a more lush and full-bodied sound) and more recent female vocalists like London Grammar, Daughter, and Anais Mitchell. Whether the latter are influences or not, “Drifting” would certainly fit well in a playlist with them.

For both island-dwellers and urbanites alike, listening to “Drifting” has the ability to bring about a state of calm that most people are in need of these days. By focusing on just a few gorgeous musical elements and giving them space to breathe, NEBO has cultivated a sound that is not easy to find in the music of today. The song’s calming minimalism feels at times almost like a lost art, but NEBO and collaborators are bringing it back with full force here in their latest of compositions.

Stream Drifting and follow NEBO on Instagram to stay up to date on their latest releases. 

Follow the Up and Comers playlist to hear from more emerging artists you don’t want to miss.