Nia Archives is one of the youngest in charge when it comes to dance music. At just 24 years old, she has put jungle on her back and skyrocketed the genre back into the mainstream. Through her unifying and enthralling sound, her ethos of bringing people together via music has gotten her so far. Her earlier upbeat club-friendly tunes like the 2022 singles ‘Mash up the Dance’ with Watch The Ride and the baile funk-inspired ‘Baìana’ had festival fields up and down the country breaking out into a well-earned skank.
Yet on her third EP – 2023’s ‘Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall’ – the Bradford star took a beat, sharing six “less ravey” tracks that reflected an “honest and real” version of herself. And the creative polymath’s debut album, ‘Silence Is Loud’, is a fleshed-out extension of this. Nia has said the album is one you have “to sit and listen to” – and when you do, you hear a collection of tranquil tracks that showcase her ability to craft intricate songs beyond a hedonistic floorfiller. Across the album, she expands on both her new laid-back production style and angsty songwriting to create candid, bittersweet gems that sum up the oddities of life.
With her uniquely spell-binding lilt, she sings about loneliness, family struggles and despair over understated melodies boosted with the jungle flair she’s synonymous with. Her earnest songwriting shines on tracks such as ‘F A M I L Y’ and ‘Crowded Roomz’; on the latter, a whining electric guitar riff highlights Nia’s simple story of feeling alone in crowded rooms: “It’s a facade, a persona, my costume / No one to turn to, they don’t understand my blues”.
‘Cards On The Table’ and ‘Out Of Options’ are other standout tracks featuring the same soft and atmospheric guitar sounds. But at the same time, they’re energised by zingy chimes that cushion the pensive lyrics. Clearly, Nia hasn’t forgotten the fun-loving nature of dance music. Elsewhere, the opening title track upholds the frenetic vibe of jungle music and reminds us why she won Best Producer at the NME Awards in 2022 as she expertly combines fizzy synths, a thumping bassline and nostalgic samples
Yet, ‘Silence Is Loud (Reprise)’ is the biggest highlight. Here, Nia rests her trusted jungle bassline and opts for nothing but piano and siren-style synths encourage her to belt her heart out – it’s certainly the most vulnerable moment in Nia’s discography. She exudes confidence and no longer hides her voice behind her wicked production skills – which she told NME she only developed because other producers “were messing her around”.
With each project, Nia waters the seeds of ideas and concepts she has planted throughout her discography. And, on her debut album, they all blossomed into a rich, self-reflective record that shows the artist beyond the beats. If ‘Silence Is Loud (Reprise)’ is anything to go by, let’s hope Nia uses her voice even more in the future. After all, what will the next generation of ravers listen to when they just need to be still?
Details
- Release date: April 12, 2024
- Record label: HIJNXX/Island
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