Review: NAVVI’s Intoxicating, Compelling Debut ‘Omni’
Seattle is an unfairly overlooked mecca for great electronic music. Even though the Emerald City will probably always be known for its underground hip-hop scene, and for causing every major label to sign any mediocre money-chasing bar band that could play drop D they could get their hands on in the early ’90s, Seattle stands out to me nowadays as having more than its fair share of acts that really know how to twist some knobs. Among my more recent pleasant discoveries has been the electro-pop duo NAVVI, a beautifully grim overcast on the typically sunny Seattle electronic scene.
NAVVI – who’s made up of Kristin Henry on lyrics/vocals and Brad Boettger on production, though I’m sure collaboration comes from both members in the creative process – runs with a moderately familiar sound. On Omni, the duo’s debut album, and their first release for Hush Hush Records, their sonic trajectory feels indebted to everything from UK post-dubstep to trip-hop-inspired indie pop artists like Phantogram (more Eyelid Movies than Voices), with somewhat of a darkened synthpop chic permeating the atmosphere. There’s a little bit of Shrines on this record, there’s a little bit of Visions, maybe a touch of Crystal Castles III. Omni is certain art of its time, but though you can definitely see where NAVVI’s influences lie, and though they’re pretty far from putting a new spin on indietronica music, the two make up for it with their strong songwriting and great, polished production.
“Polychrome” was the first track I heard in advance of Omni, and it isn’t a track I’ve been able to take out of heavy rotation since. A whetting and pretty slick indie pop track, the track features a really catchy synth melody, a hush, but strong hook, and one of Kristin’s best vocal performances on the LP. It perfectly showcases NAVVI’s dark, reverb-drenched sonic aesthetic, while offering enough melodic spunk to give it some hit potential on alternative rock and pop radio if we’re lucky, and remains perhaps my favorite track released by a Seattle artist so far this year, many listens through Omni later. Though there’s no high gloss finished radio smash among the tight 11 tracks on this record, NAVVI maintain a strong poppy sensibility throughout, leading to a series of tracks that will entrance you while they’re on, and stay stuck in your head when you’ve finished the album.
Omni is a fairly quiet and reticent record, and, admittedly, across its fairly short runtime, it doesn’t do a whole lot to divert from its darkened musical vibe. While many of NAVVI’s dark-pop contemporaries will throw in the occasional uplifting jam, Henry and Boettger seem pretty content hanging around in the doom and gloom. It’s far from a dumbed-down record, however. You get a good sense of instrumental variety among these different tracks, whether it’s the glitchy, skipping “Simpatico,” the witch house-esque “What Reason Do We Need?,” the bassy and guitar-laden “In Gold,” the two beautiful ambient-drone interludes, or “Follow You,” which makes pretty prominent use of eerie, digitally-compressed vocoder vocals for a haunting effect. It wouldn’t be fair to write off Omni as a one-dimensional record or being just another shadowy synthpop revivalist record, as NAVVI clearly wants to leave more of an impression than just recycling the same song over and over again for 36 minutes.
Listening to Omni feels a lot like being transported to a different plane of existence entirely. It’s the sound of leaving our boring, radiant world and being gently led into a small, dimly-lit room where a fog machine has obscured all sights around you, and you’re left with little more than your thoughts and sick dance moves. NAVVI come through with their boldest and best collection of songs yet. While their 2014 EP // was a welcome introduction for Henry and Boettger, it was a release that felt more promising than it did delivering on its potential. Omni has a much stronger sense of identity, and is more likely to stick with you through repeat listens, in which you’ll always pick up a new small detail to love.
(You can pre-order Omni through http://hushhushrecords.bandcamp.com/album/omni digitally, on CD, or on limited edition white vinyl. You can stream the track “Polychrome” below via SoundCloud to get a taste of what NAVVI is all about.)
