Bangladeshi-American artist Nadu releases third album '16'
WORDS & INTERVIEW By Nandita Suria
IG: @nandisuria
Following the release of two singles – the catchy ‘Good To Me’ and spirited ‘What Kind Of Man’ – LA-based Bangladeshi-American artist Nadu dropped his genre-melding third album titled ‘16’ on 3rd March 2023.
‘16’ takes you on a journey, building gradually on the first track ironically titled ‘Goodbye’ and finally culminating with the sweet, slow and psychedelic ‘Rabbithole’. The guitar and drums are heavy throughout, each track is drenched in emotion, and Nadu sings with gusto.
Nadu draws you into his world, one where he is sixteen again and navigating through love, loss and ultimately taking back control. You can hear the presence of a wide array of musical influences on ‘16’, from the spacey guitars of Japanese Breakfast to the soulful vocals of King Krule and the punchy choruses of The Heavy.
‘Good To Me’ was featured on KCRW's Top Tune and KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, and rightfully so. The vocal melody, lyrics and synth refrain work beautifully together to create an upbeat yet earnest love letter that has become my favourite track on the album. In fact, a few songs on the album read as a conversation or emotional tussle with a lover. In ‘Play Pretend’, Nadu sings on top of fast-paced drums and sax “Come get your smell out of my car/ Your hand still on my knee in the karaoke bar”, and the frenetic energy and drama he creates is compelling. The power struggle seems to come to an end with ‘End Of The Road’, which prompts a realisation that he’s left to his own devices, and features muddy guitars reminiscent of nineties indie legends Nirvana.
Nadu emigrated to the US as a teenager and eventually quit his office job to make music full time. His first two projects – Determinator and Determinator II – were rooted in a lo-fi garage punk and surf sound, and recorded in a small studio he converted out of a closet under the staircase of a former mochi factory. ‘16’ allowed Nadu to experiment further with new genres and instruments and represents the next phase in his musical journey.
I interviewed Nadu to find out more about the inspiration behind his latest album.
You describe ‘16’ as “making peace with the sixteen year old version of Nadu”. Is there something you want people to know about that version of you, and how do you feel about those aspects of you now?
I wasn't allowed to have my own guitar when I was sixteen, and I wasn't allowed to date. My parents thought it was going to distract me from school. I was still allowed to go out, but with restrictions. This kept me from starting my music journey till years later, even though I did sneak a friend's electric guitar into the house and hide it under my bed, and would play it unplugged late at night. As frustrated as I feel that some of that was "wasted" time, those years taught me the value of perseverance and consistency as a musician. Most, if not all, the musicians I have played with do not pursue music as a profession any more and I think I would have fallen by the wayside as well, had I not learned during those years to simply do the work and keep working.
What was your favourite song to work on from the album?
On each track, I tackled different instruments so overall it was a fun album to work on. However, my favourite track was ‘Semolina’, which lyrically is a metaphor for immigrant dreams. Semolina is prevalent in South Asian, West African, Italian and European cuisines and it was my metaphor to capture all the different immigrant populations that came to the US, with sweet semolina or shujir halwa being one of my favourite Bangladeshi foods when I was a kid. I was inspired to write this particular track while I was reading 'Bengalis in Harlem', in which I learned for the first time that Bengalis like me had been in the US since the 1800s, coming in specifically from what is Bangladesh now. Musically, I merged a poignant folky vocal melody with a sentimental horn section and Paul McCartney-esque bassline and synth. The McCartney touch being another throwback to me reading a lot of immigrants learned English from bands like The Beatles when they first moved to the US.
‘16’ retains the original style and energy from your previous releases while spanning a wider variety of genres and instruments. What thematic or musical elements did you enjoy exploring on this album that’s different from your previous projects?
Horns by far. They added a classiness I found unexpected for the genres I work in. I would like to incorporate accordion next time in a track or two.
For this album, you wanted to go back to your 90s indie roots. What is it about that era of indie rock and pop that excites or inspires you?
90s indie and pop bands had some dirt on their sleeves – some real swagger. Even Oasis, who are usually written off as the guys who sang ‘Wonderwall’, have some grit if you explore their catalogue. Nirvana and Sonic Youth were catchy and experimental and also rock ‘n’ roll at the same time. Blur, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Third Eye Blind all broke the mould in different ways that I don't think have been replicated. Above all, every band I listed here weren't afraid to be themselves musically, even silly at times - and quite original and distinct from one another. That inspires me daily in my own musical journey, the daring joy to be myself.
My personal favourite off the album is the track 'Good To Me'. The chorus is at the same time both a confident demand and a vulnerable plea to someone you’ve fallen for. Where do you get your inspiration when writing lyrics? Do you draw more from your personal experience or from the abstract?
I do like to take specific feelings and stories I've lived through to find a cohesive story for a song. In this case, ‘Good To Me’ was based on some unresolved thoughts that I was still carrying in me. Going through both short and long term relationships, this story is about reaching a comfortable, familiar, and intimate space with a partner and being afraid of losing it at the same time because it’s an unfamiliar 'too good to be true' scenario. Which might make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I used to focus on feelings versus stories on my previous releases as I thought that would be more relatable (you may not connect with the specifics of the story but would have similar feelings so can relate), but have come to embrace a mixture.
You can now stream and download ‘16’ by Nadu where ever you get your music. Follow Nadu on Instagram and support his music on Bandcamp.
Nandita
Nandita Suria is a music enthusiast based in London. She works in data privacy by day, and drums in dream-pop band Momo and the Minutes by night. When she’s not at an alt-rock, pop or R&B gig, she’s probably exploring her interest in film photography or picking up yet another new hobby.