Nymph (album) explained

Nymph
Type:studio
Artist:Shygirl
Cover:Shygirl nymph.jpeg
Recorded:2021
Genre:
Length:32:31
Prev Title:Alias
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Nymph_o
Next Year:2023

Nymph is the debut studio album by British rapper and singer Shygirl. It was released on 30 September 2022 on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital download, through Because Music.[1] [2] The album was announced alongside the release of its lead single "Firefly" on 10 May 2022.[3] The second single "Come for Me" was released on 7 June 2022.[4] The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize.[5]

Background

On 20 November 2020, Shygirl would release her second extended play, Alias, via the Because Music label. Featuring additional production by Kai Whiston, Sophie, and Sega Bodega, Alias would be critically praised by outlets such as Pitchfork and NME and received a column in Vogue.[6] [7] [8] After pursuing other projects such as a performance film titled "Blu",[9] a remix EP, and being featured on a remix of Lady Gaga and Blackpink's "Sour Candy" on Lady Gaga's Dawn of Chromatica remix album,[10] Nymph would have its writing process commence in late September 2021 and end in December of the same year.[11]

Composition

Nymph is primarily a pop album, through critics have noted that the album resists strict genre classification. "Firefly", "Heaven", and "Coochie (A Bedtime Story)" are all hyperpop songs with the latter incorporating trap beats.[12] UK garage and 2-step are present on both "Firefly" and "Wildfire", while "Nike" and "Missing U" incorporate rap music. "Poison" is a Europop-inspired blog house track "with a raucous accordion hook and club-ready bass squelches". "Honey" merges jungle breakbeats and liquid drum 'n' bass into a "sultry" R&B ballad.[12] The Arca-produced "Come for Me" has been described as a "mutant" reggaetón song containing "sparse, militant drum patterns sound like they’ve been swallowed by broken subwoofers."

Critical reception

Nymph was met with universal acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 10 reviews.[13] Cameron Cook of Pitchfork praised the album, stating that each track unveiled "some new aspect of Shygirl’s persona, musicality, or, most often, both", and finding that her "siren song" enticed a listener "toward somewhere brighter and more introspective."

The Guardians Ammar Kalia further noted her "experimenting with its more irreverent aspects" with the record, in comparison to her earlier work having "explored the darker side of the dancefloor", whereas Dhruva Balram of NME found that the album generated "a gleaming collage of club sounds, with each element wholly unique in its execution." Writing for The Skinny, Abbie Aitken found that Nymph "slithers through a jungle of sound" and essentially "created an entire genre".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's official liner notes.

Notes

Sample credits

Charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[14] 9
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] 10
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[16] 64
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[17] 7

Nymph_o

Nymph_o
Type:remix
Artist:Shygirl
Cover:Shygirl - Nymph o.jpeg
Prev Title:Nymph
Prev Year:2022
Next Title:Club Shy
Next Year:2024

A deluxe edition/remix album, titled Nymph_o, was announced on 28 February 2023, and released on 14 April 2023.[18] It features new songs, as well as remixes of the album's tracks.

It was preceded by the single releases of "Poison (Club Shy mix)",[19] and a remix of "Heaven", featuring American singer Tinashe.[20] Björk's remix of "Woe" was released as a single on 21 March,[21] followed by "Playboy/Positions" on 4 April.[22]

Additionally, "Unconditional" was originally released in June 2020 exclusively on Bandcamp to raise funds for Black Lives Matter during the George Floyd protests.[23]

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shygirl announces debut album 'Nymph' . 2022-05-12 . . 13 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220513071339/https://mixmag.net/read/shygirl-nymph-debut-album-firefly-news . live .
  2. Web site: Shygirl - Nymph. Rough Trade US. 9 June 2022. 17 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220517010208/https://roughtrade.com/us/shygirl/nymph. live.
  3. Web site: 2022-05-10 . Shygirl Announces Debut Album Nymph, Shares Video for New Song "Firefly" . 2022-05-13 . . en-US . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510174545/https://pitchfork.com/news/shygirl-announces-debut-album-nymph-shares-video-for-new-song-firefly-watch/ . live .
  4. Web site: Shygirl: "Come for Me" Track Review. Pitchfork. Bloom. Madison. 7 June 2022. 9 June 2022. 17 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240617200837/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/shygirl-come-for-me/. live.
  5. News: Snapes . Laura . July 27, 2023 . Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations . . July 28, 2023 . 27 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230727122458/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/27/mercury-prize-nominations-arctic-monkeys . live .
  6. Web site: Bardhan . Ashley . Shygirl - Alias EP . 9 December 2020 . Pitchfork.
  7. Web site: Jolley . Ben . 25 November 2020 . Shygirl – 'Alias' review: futuristic club-rap bangers from underground queen's fantasy universe . 9 December 2020 . NME.
  8. Web site: Hess . Liam . 2 December 2020 . The Many Faces of Shygirl, London's Most Stylish Breakout Rapper . 9 December 2020 . Vogue.
  9. Web site: Brady . Keegan . 29 June 2021 . The U.K. Rapper Shygirl Makes Futuristic Club Anthems for Whatever Comes Next . 8 September 2021 . en-US . Rolling Stone.
  10. Web site: Curto . Justin . 3 September 2021 . Get in Girls, We're Going Back to Chromatica . 8 September 2021 . Vulture . en-us.
  11. News: Ewens . Hannah . Shygirl is hungry for everything . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220928091407/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/shygirl-new-album-nymph-interview-23231/ . 28 September 2022 . 22 June 2024 . Rolling Stone UK.
  12. Web site: Ammar. Kalia. Shygirl: Nymph review – a sensuous, playful debut. 2 October 2022. The Guardian. 2 October 2022. 17 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240617200730/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/02/shygirl-nymph-review-a-sensuous-playful-debut. live.
  13. Web site: Nymph by Shygirl . . 5 October 2022 . 17 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617200754/https://www.metacritic.com/music/nymph/shygirl . live .
  14. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 10 October 2022. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1701. 24. 10 October 2022.
  15. Heatseekers Albums: Week of October 15, 2022. Billboard. 11 October 2022. 17 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240617200755/https://www.billboard.com/charts/heatseekers-albums/2022-10-15/. live.
  16. Top Album Sales: Week of October 15, 2022. Billboard. 11 October 2022. 11 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011213918/https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-album-sales/2022-10-15/. live.
  17. Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of October 15, 2022. Billboard. 11 October 2022. 11 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011103826/https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-electronic-albums/2022-10-15/. live.
  18. Web site: Shygirl announces deluxe version of Nymph album with new remix of "Heaven" featuring Tinashe . 2023-03-02 . The Line of Best Fit . en-US . 3 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303025826/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/shygirl-announces-deluxe-version-of-nymph-album-with-new-remix-of-heaven-featuring-tinashe . live .
  19. Web site: Shygirl shares Club Shy mix of "Poison" . 2023-03-02 . The FADER . en . 3 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303025828/https://www.thefader.com/2022/12/05/shygirl-poison-club-shy-mix . live .
  20. Web site: 2023-03-01 . Shygirl teams up with Tinashe for new version of 'Heaven' . 2023-03-02 . DIY . en . 17 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617201242/https://diymag.com/news/shygirl-tinashe-heaven . live .
  21. Web site: Wilkes . Emma . 2023-03-22 . Shygirl teams up with Björk on new version of 'Woe' . 2023-04-04 . NME . en-AU . 17 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617201350/https://www.nme.com/news/music/shygirl-teams-up-with-bjork-on-new-version-of-woe-3418288 . live .
  22. Web site: 2023-04-04 . Shygirl Shares New Track "Playboy / Positions": Listen . 2023-04-04 . Stereogum . en . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404215801/https://www.stereogum.com/2219075/shygirl-playboy-positions/music/ . live .
  23. Web site: unconditional, by Shygirl + Arca . 2023-03-02 . Shygirl . en . 3 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303025825/https://0800shygirl.bandcamp.com/track/unconditional . live .

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