Link to our Facebook
Link to our Instagram
Link to our TikTok

Live Review: Nyxen showcases a brand new sound with 'Chains'

21 August 2018 | 3:00 pm | Max Lewis

Nyxen has dropped her first track of 2018 with 'Chains', and it's a shift into a more dynamic and multi-faceted direction we couldn't be more excited about.

After half a year locked away in the studio, Sydney producer NYXEN has dropped her first track of 2018 with 'Chains' - an effortlessly subtle cut of electro-pop with notes of alternative under the surface.

Nyxen started out big and kept on going, making a name for herself with a phenomenal remix of Temper Trap's 'Sweet Disposition' and going on to score a hat trick of successful singles, 'Running', 'Is it Love', 'In the City', which amassed her millions of well-deserved Spotify hits. After being studio-bound for months, she's now touring with Golden Features and finishing up a full-length LP, the first taste of which is the daringly multi-faceted 'Chains'.

Where her earlier tracks had more of a focus on dancey, retro-tinged house hooks, 'Chains' has a tighter focus on songwriting and structure, as well as a slightly rockier sound. Manipulated vocal samples are gone in favour of unedited vocals which soar over pulsing bass synth and punchy physical drums. While the song is indeed heavier and less dance driven, it still retains some of the more throwback sounds that are Nyxen's bread and butter: descending synth stabs add a melancholy sound to a mix soaked in reverb, resulting in a track recognisable enough as Nyxen, but with a new coat of paint.

Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter

Nyxen has come out of her stint in the studio sounding different, and better than ever. There's still plenty of throwback electro-pop hooks to keep you invested, but we're seeing a deeper and more refined side of her this time around. As the first taste of an upcoming LP, 'Chains' is a glimpse at a new evolution of Nyxen.

IMAGE: FACEBOOK

WORDS BY MAX LEWIS

SEE ALSO