Don’t Kid Urself

Nia Archives is making really exciting music.

Having stormed the scene with ‘Sober Feels’ her dark, morning after - the - dance debut which quickly and deservedly blew up, Nia hits us straight back with ‘Don’t Kid Urself’.

The two tracks fold seamlessly into each other establishing Archives’ distinctive sound and perhaps hinting at an EP coming soon. We can only hope!

We’ve clocked a garage resurgence bubbling under the surface in the quarantined London scene, and Nia incorporates it into her latest track with a masterful, playful touch that also pays tribute to other iconic UK genres. Melancholic harmonies are layered with ethereal effect over JME-esque synth and a UK Funky bassline with a smattering of breakbeat.

‘Archives’ really is a fitting name for an artist whose tracks show an appreciation of the past but bring their own personality and creativity to ensure that it’s never a ‘rehash’ but instead an innovative reimagining with its eyes set firmly on the future.

Her refrain ‘Don’t kid yourself’ stands alone as the only vocal on the track, but far from being empty, it takes on an intense, isolated quality when surrounded by the vibrancy of the instrumental. It’s evocative, unsettling - the feeling of being alone in a crowd. Self-aware, complex party music. It works. Archives is able to balance intimacy and introspection with making tunes that we know would go offf live. We’ll be dancing in the park to this one until we can get back to the cathartically sweaty basement where this sound (and we) feel most at home.