Paulo released her debut single, the wistful “Please Don’t Forget,” in 2019. Her debut EP, Wave Call, arrived in 2020, featuring contributions from musicians Bravo Kilo, Evan J Cartwright, Kwame Appiah-Kubi, and Tim Baker, with production and engineering handled by David Gavan Baxter. She toured the EP in Europe in 2020, making stops in Portugal, the UK, Ireland, France, and Germany. Her latest releases—the Live at First Light EP recorded for the Lawnya Vawnya Artist Residency and a cover of José Afonso’s Portuguese folk song "O Cavaleiro e o Anjo"—were both recorded in Paulo’s adopted hometown of St. John’s, and include appearances by local musicians Tim Baker, Adam Hogan, Steve Maloney, and Mary B. Waldram.
“Your new favorite vocalist lives in Newfoundland” - MTV
“Nico Paulo has a knack for transmuting the mundane motions of daily life into grand, wistful reveries.” - The FADER
- ARTIST: Nico Paulo
- TITLE: Nico Paulo
- CAT#: FMG102
- FORMAT: Vinyl, CD, Digital
- RELEASE DATE: April 07, 2023
Nico Paulo’s self-titled album opens in a dream. That is, after all, where our experiences gather in vivid fluidity: water, time, flowers, family, love, home, memories. These are the recurring pieces that populate the St. John’s based Portuguese-Canadian artist’s effortless, grounding folk-pop. Like the smaller offerings preceding it, Paulo’s debut album is rooted in intimate, imagistic songwriting wherein relationships (to self, to others, to the wider world) come into focus, brim with passion and occasionally slip away. The magnetic center of the music is her direct vocal work that feels both inviting for its warmth and striking in its power.
Recorded in a lakeside cabin on Nova Scotia’s South Shore with producer / percussionist Joshua Van Tassel, and co-production from Tim Baker, Paulo’s unassuming songs are brought brilliantly to life through subtle rhythmic shifts and exquisite arrangements for horns, woodwinds and mellotron. Each piece of a given composition is perfectly considered, hung just so with a gentle shimmer. Each song is played with care by a cast of St. John’s finest players including Adam Hogan (guitar) and Tim Baker (keys), both formerly of Hey Rosetta, Mary Beth Waldram (clarinet), and Steve Maloney (backing vox), as well as Forward head honcho Kyle Cunjak (bass).
Paulo has a way of lending heavy themes a buoyancy without sacrificing any emotional impact. Lead single ‘Now or Never’ is a slow, bubbly waltz that finds the singer offering a dramatic ultimatum to a lover. Her words are stern and purposeful, but the song moves with the pace of an early autumn breeze. Similarly, ‘Time’, like its namesake, unfurls as if it couldn’t be any other way. As congas step quietly into the mix, bringing the song into full bloom, Paulo poses the question, “Have you ever thought of dancing” and its import feels positively existential. In the tradition of singers like Gal Costa, Nico, Feist or Victoria Legrand, Paulo packs profound strength into songs that spare no tenderness or nuance.
This remarkably assured debut is the perfect record to hum along with, curl up to, draw strength from and share with those you love, or have loved. At the album’s close, in the final moments of ‘Read My Mind’, Paulo offers an affirming meditation on what any given relationship is really about: ‘the time it takes, to recreate / hold hands, forget and love again’.
“grand, wistful reveries” – FADER
“Your new favorite vocalist” – MTV
“Heavenly…gorgeous compositions…reminiscent of Aldous Harding or Grouper.” – CLASH Magazine
“comforting and timeless” – Uncut
“beautiful” – Novena Carmel, KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic
“assured and vulnerable” – CBC Music
“un gran colorido sonoro y unos arreglos sencillos pero de lo más embriagadores” – Mindies
“Nico’s vocals hit an absolute sweet spot” – She Makes Music
Like a breath of fresh air, her gentle buoyant songs feature the kind of instrumentation one doesn’t always see from a singer-songwriter’s first album.” – Spectrum Culture
“Full of magical, transporting moments”” – Beats Per Minute
“enchanting and bewildering” – Cast the Dice
“timeless and charming” – One Chord To Another
“What a voice, what a sound!” – HRMNY
“graceful and mesmerizing” – Tonic Grain
“dreamy” – PhotogMusic
“an instantly engaging voice” – FYI Music News