Nina Kohout - Pandemonium (2022)
By Flork (contact)
There is no doubt that Nina Kohout adds a breath of fresh air to the music scene with her atmospheric and ambient voice and compelling compositions. Based in London, the 19-year-old singer from Slovakia masterfully blends a mixture of folklore elements that combine with images of suspense and sadness, yet somehow cause a chemical reaction which produces works of tenderness and beauty. From the very moment I listen to the opening track Love Above I am immediately caught under her spell and charm. This track is pure beauty and at times eerie, with moments of suspense from the keyboards interspersed among the presence of her beautiful voice. At moments it feels like being inside a horror movie, with moments of expectation that something might jump out at you. However, the charm of her voice brings you back to the safety of love no matter how close you might get to any vampires or monsters lurking in the shadows. And when Moonlight begins, I feel as if I’ve been lulled into a trance and feel calm and peace inside, as if she is deliberately singing me a lullaby to bed. In fact, it was this track specifically that gave her musical career an early boost, since it was chosen as the Song of the Day by KEXP Radio in London. Pure beauty as it rhythmically paints a portrait of the limitations between our own world and those beyond our reach.
The Ep contains only 4 tracks, yet they are all unique gems that were entirely written by Nina herself. She also performs on many of the instruments, including the guitar and keyboard. Yet Nina is not the only one deserving of credit for Pandemonium, since she incorporates the production and mastering of Vlado Durajka and Lucas Armstead, who both helped to create the title track and Moonlight. The other two tracks, Love Above and Prebudzanka were produced by Matus Homola in western Slovakia and mastered by Tomas Karasek in Prague. The collaboration of these talents from behind the scenes need mentioning, since they too were instrumental in the creation of bringing the presence of her voice to the foreground of each track. Yet it is Nina’s presence herself who graces us through the tenderness and love in her voice and reminds us that our existence lingers between beauty and darkness — Pandemonium.
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