With guitars that carry epochs of history in their Southern Gothic timbre and arcane harmonies which tear through the space-time continuum into a metaphysical arena of soul, Absentee doesn’t pander to genre pastiche; in the same vein as Low, Nicola Madill allows the arrangements to summon emotive hypnosis into the minds of her audience.
The masterclass in production gives space to every instrumental layer and ethereal whisper; as the arrangement thrums, twangs, shimmers and rhythmically reverberates, Madill tempers the alchemy with poetically introspective luminosity. It is an unforgettable introduction to the singer-songwriter who is so attuned to the decadence of dark gothic glamour that she triumphs in baring the true aura of it in her compositions.
With her MLitt in Creative Writing informing the richly metaphorical lyrics and cinematic scale of the soundscape, Madill stitched a narrative thread through the track that is both seductive and unsettling, coaxing catharsis from spectral corners of folk-rock. The restraint in her vocal performance speaks volumes in intimacy, echoing with the same unsettling grace that earned her debut album Selene, a Record of Note title from BBC Radio Scotland.
With her upcoming LP to be released in full on the midsummer solstice, Absentee serves as a portal into the atmospheric depths of her cultivated dark hymnal sound. Before the full record lands on 24th June 2025, Nicola Madill will carry the spectral torch across the UK and Ireland, supporting Martin Stephenson, including dates at The Cavern Club and London’s 229 Club.
Absentee is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
