Review: The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change — Nina Nesbitt

It’s been almost four years to the day since Nina Nesbitt released her first album, Peroxide, but she has returned not a moment too soon with The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change. A progression from her former folk-pop sound, Nesbitt infuses this batch of songs with some on-trend chilled out synths and extremely tight harmonies on top of her acoustic past, giving the album a sonic depth she previously lacked. Lyrically, she addresses topics from all walks of life, including success, love, fame, loss, self-empowerment, representing just how much the singer has grown in her time away from the world.

After leading the pack with “Sacred” — an introduction on how fame has impacted her— Nesbitt dives into the fear of missing out on her own life on “The Moments I’m Missing” and the inability to open her heart to others on “Colder.” Elsewhere, she celebrates a partner she makes her think she’s got potential (“Somebody Special”) and declares just how rich she wants to be (“Empire”). While most of The Sun Will Come Up is cohesive in sound, tracks “Loyal to Me” and “Love Letter” possess a Latin flair, giving the listener an appreciated moment to get up and move their body to the grooves.

The final stretch of the record contains the most frank of admissions from the singer. Penultimate “Last December,” in particular, is the album’s most candid work; five minutes of Nesbitt reflecting on a lost relationship in the winter, teetering between the jubilation and mourning that comes from reminiscing on powerful memories. All of that agony is gently treated by the final song — the title track — closing The Sun Will Come Up on the hopeful notion that, even though “life’s uncertain and sometimes it’s strange,” there is still light to be found in the world. It’s a deserved revelation for an artist who’s been dealt her fair share of bad hands.

Rating: 7.5/10

Standout tracks: “Colder,” “Somebody Special,” “Love Letter,” “Last December”