100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 67: Northern Nomads

Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.

Artwork by Seattle-area painter E.R. Saba

Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fourth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, presented by Verity Credit Union. Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag at Twitter on the daily to stay on top of all the bands featured and make sure to follow Verity on Twitter and NW_Music_Scene as well. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the sun yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is Northern Nomads.

In October we reviewed a four song EP from a newer outfit called Northern Nomads. We got hooked on the dreamy vocals and the tasty synth work pretty quickly and it became one of the northwest releases we loved this year. A quick listen to Love Is All We Have and we’re reasonably sure you’ll agree that the sky is the limit for this talented group. They are currently recording more material and we are excited to see how it turns out.

Here’s some of what we said about the EP in our review:


Love Is All We Have is both the name and the overlying theme of the debut Northern Nomads EP. The lyrics written on most of the tracks are deeply romantic and slightly nostalgic, in which Sibaja sings phrases such as “There is no one else when we’re together / night and day are not the same.” The previously written words found on “Night & Day” and the plenty of other heartfelt thoughts throughout the EP revolve around clinging to love, no matter what the circumstances.

Perhaps the best part of Love Is All We Have is the quality of the production. Sibaja himself produced the EP along with Simon Nicol, and the work they did is truly outstanding. Every element of every song blends together smoothly, and no part of the arrangements outshine any other. A particular song that highlights the solid production is the title track, “Love Is All We Have.” The synthwave base of the tune contains a clean, funky edge, and with the addition of subtle harmonies near the chorus, “Love Is All We Have” stands out as the most memorable on the EP.

“Dream” is another track that stands out, especially as the only slowjam of the four. Besides the slowed down tempo, the song also possesses a darker feel than the others. The slightly psychedelic vibe within the five minute track is reminiscent of Tame Impala, and protrudes the feeling of floating through different dimensions and galaxies.


In 2016, Mario Sibaja moved to Seattle with a handful of synth-pop songs to start Northern Nomads where the founder and frontman teamed up with Seattle producer, Simon Nicol, in order to bring to life the band’s debut EP,  Love Is All We Have. Growing up listening to artists like The Human League and Depeche Mode,  Sibaja found his inspiration for writing music by blending 80s synth-pop with a notable funk and disco influence from artists like Jamiroquai and Daft Punk.

(Listen to ‘Love Is All We Have’ below via Bandcamp, where you can also purchase it and you can get more info about Northern Nomads on Facebook HERE.)


A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner. 

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