[Photo: Sarah Jasmine Montgomery]
In 2016, Austin, Texas indie-electronic duo NÄM made a striking first impression in their scene and beyond with their five-track debut EP, Umlaut (seriously, go listen). Operating with an entirely DIY approach, these two are impressive to say the least. There’s a gentle warmth to their creations, an inviting aura that sucks you in, tucks you in, and soothes you to complete relaxation—that is, of course, until one of Sam Simmons’ lively beats arrives and you can’t help but to get up and dance along. There are both carefree and completely contemplative qualities to the music and it’s all led by Nora Lueders’ beautiful vocal delivery and thoughtful lyrics.
NÄM’s newest single, which we have the immense honor of sharing with you today, is perhaps their most upbeat to date. “490” is backlit by a pulsating foundation of production that essentially breathes in and out as Lueders’ voice offers reflective thoughts on a connection since concluded. Despite the potentially dejected themes of the lyrical layers, “490” has a mostly sunny atmosphere and truly uplifting rhythm that will surely have you moving. Dig in below and follow up with some words from Simmons about how the track came together.
“Nora and I aren’t going for any particular genre and we still don’t have a set way of making music,” says Simmons. “I think ‘490’ reflects that. To me, it’s a hodgepodge of ideas that somehow seem to flow together. The song started months ago when I made an instrumental track that sounds nothing like what ‘490’ has become. Nora would write some vocal ideas to that instrumental, then I would change the instrumental to better match what she’s doing, and we just kept going back and forth like that until it sounded the way it sounds now.” Simmons continues, “I’m proud to say that everything you hear is DIY. We wrote, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered it all ourselves. I think ‘490’ is a product of our constant journey towards discovering how to make interesting and catchy music. We can only hope that other people dig it and follow us on this journey!”
“490” will be officially released tomorrow, January 27. You can follow NÄM on Facebook and Twitter for more information and upcoming material.
