In contrast to the bustling atmosphere of New York City, Nectarine Girl serves audiences a soft platter of beautifully haunting vocals woven in between a layer of indie-rock instrumentals. Released on Jan. 20, Good Excuses for Laziness takes listeners on a journey through relationships, envy, objectification and self-doubt. A balanced mix of sweet and bold throughout, Good Excuses For Laziness is the perfect ingredient to your playlist.
Following the release of her debut album Is This The Light? in 2022, Nectarine Girl hasn’t stopped working. Between growing her writing skills, finding a team, playing an abundance of shows and improving her overall artistry, Nectarine Girl is a force to be reckoned with. All this hard work over the last four years truly paid off, as Good Excuses for Laziness has proved to be an auditory masterpiece. The album charmingly combines haunting yet breathtaking vocals with indie-rock guitar and solemn piano, highlighting her well-rounded talent.
Good Excuses for Laziness opens with “i’ve disappeared,” which leaves the audience feeling like they have stepped into a whimsical forest. This track has nearly no vocals throughout the minute and thirty second duration; Nectarine Girl’s wispy siren-like voice only peeks in and out of the background a few times, allowing her production skills to truly shine. Sprinkled in the production, listeners can hear soft ocean waves alongside a glittery wind. This is the perfect opening to the album and the production sets it up to share her experiences — almost like a storybook.
“i’ve disappeared” is not the only track with this setup, as songs “today” and “tomorrow” also focus heavily on production. These two tracks serve as midway and final points of the album, with the ending and beginning instrumentals cohesively fading into each other. This creative style allows for the songs to marinate on the listener’s mind as they are swept away into the following song.
Throughout history and even in today’s society, women continue to experience what it is like to be objectified. Nectarine Girl took this experience and crafted it into a beautifully tragic piece called “devour me.” Throughout the song, the lyrics contain the singer comparing her body parts to food — capturing the sensation of being treated like a piece of meat:
“You bargain with the butcher he / Says he’ll give you every part of me / Take me home with all your groceries / Ripping the ribbons off my packaging”
On TikTok, Nectarine Girl relayed to audiences how the track is a metaphor for objectification — specifically, the ending lyric’s symbolism for being eaten alive. She even explained how the drums throughout the composition portray subtle gasping and struggle sounds, enhancing the overall experience of the song.
Releasing relatable music is not something Nectarine Girl shies away from, as each song carries a vibe that audiences can connect with. Along with objectification, many individuals find themselves struggling with envy or comparing themselves to others. “before photo” embodies this feeling, as Nectarine Girl finds herself envying others and questioning if she is a “before photo” in society’s eyes.
When bitten into, nectarines are often sweet with a bold and intense flavor — just like Nectarine Girl’s Good Excuses for Laziness. An intensely-bold taste of sweetness perfectly describes the collection of songs on the album, and it leaves the audience feeling refreshed and satisfied.
Keep up with Nectarine Girl:
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