We have been avidly following the recent releases of Saint Nick the Lesser, including the high-octane, subversive and witty, God Bless, as well as the intentional and profound hope-core anthem, Anne-Marie, and the emotive and metaphorical, Train Tracks, so when we heard that the talented artist was back with 21 Minutes, we couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.

Drawing us in with a vibrant, strummed guitar performance, Saint Nick the Lesser opens 21 Minutes with a suicidal tale as he sings, “January 1, 2015, I spent 21 minutes dancing over my sink, bathroom door locked, hands open, palms up, razor blade next to me… I’d had enough…”

The opus expands with to showcase Saint Nick the Lesser‘s poetic prowess and timeless, instrumental mastery as he conveys what is clearly a story of trauma – quite graphic in detail with gory nuances about his lived experience. In the song, the star is eventually saved “that’s when they broke the door down, tearing me away…”.

The mood of the song becomes more philosophical as Saint Nick the Lesser throws back to six months ago when he built an internal wall to cover his true feelings. The overarching message is hope and resilience as Saint Nick the Lesser invites us and his former self to “take a breath cos everything will be ok…” and finally reminds us all that he is, and we are, enough.

Speaking on the intention of the release, Saint Nick the Lesser says, “This song is the apex of both who I am, and what I’m about as an artist: the communication of the inherent worth in all of us, the excruciating beauty, the unbearable pain on the road to catharsis, every karmic cycle of birth, death, and re-birth which all point to inexorable conclusion: it’s worth it.”

He confesses, “I’ve struggled on/off with suicidality many times in my life, but the experiences which this song draws inspiration from were based on a particularly dark time in my life. Though not a complete 1-1 retelling of what happened, the song encapsulates the depths of despair I found myself in at that time. The hopelessness, the monumental sense of abandonment and alienation, coupled with bouts of frenzied mania to offset the encroaching sense of doom and inevitable oblivion I felt are primal and borderline ineffable. My hope is that you never experience that. My certainty though, is that even if you do, it’s not the end-that as contrived and banal as this may sound, that there is, and always will be hope. This is ultimately the point of this song, and the message I wanted to communicate.”

We always appreciate the raw emotional depth that Saint Nick the Lesser brings to life with his artistry, and this time the song comes with a cinematic music video which sees the star perform in his element, amidst a room of words that reflect the hopeful, yet real message of the song.

On the vibrant soundscape, the star tells us, “21 Minutes draws heavy inspiration more specifically from Frank Turner. I’ve always loved how he blends hopeful optimism and world-weariness amidst a sonic background which sounds equally uplifting and tired. I wanted to emulate the hopeful imagery I’ve often found present in his music in a similar manner, and can trace a lot of parallels in tone between this song and some of his.”

We have added 21 Minutes to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and also our TRIPPY and TIMELESS playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Saint Nick the Lesser, and anticipate future releases.

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Our obsession with the genius of Saint Nick the Lesser seems to grow with every listen, so when we heard that the star was back with Train Tracks, we were naturally curious and couldn’t wait to share our experience!

Kicking off with the literal sound of a rolling train, intricately constructed with the help of textured drums, Saint Nick the Lesser opens Train Tracks with production smarts and innovation before a folk rock melodic energy transports us to a timeless Americana universe. The opus expands with metaphorical depth as Saint Nick the Lesser sings, “You never see it coming, that train it moves so fast, if you don’t watch it it’ll sneak up and hit you like that…” We appreciate the direction (pun intended) that the song is going in.

Train Tracks uses the speeding train as a metaphor for life’s problems and struggles. The train represents moments that come out of nowhere. The whistle and the rush reflect the tension and panic we might feel when stress overcomes us. That said, the overarching message is hopeful. Essentially, if we step away from the “tracks” and stop putting ourselves in the path of harm, we can retain control and avoid being crushed by the chaos – choosing peace over panic!

Saint Nick the Lesser confesses, “Train Tracks, influenced by punk, ska, and anti-folk genres, draws inspiration from artists like Laura Jane Grace, Chuck Regan, Tim Barry, and Frank Turner. The song’s narrative reflects a personal story of companionship and introspection, set against the backdrop of a melancholic yet hopeful journey.”

On the story of the song, Saint Nick the Lesser tells us, “It’s sad unfortunately. My buddy was going through a tumultuous time in his life and dealing with a litany of things simultaneously; some thrust upon him, some self-inflicted, and some a natural consequence of what he’d done to cope during that time. He had recently moved to Fresno, but I was still living in the Bay Area where we’re both originally from, so I decided to go and see him. Ended up taking a train from San Jose to Fresno, though that wasn’t necessarily integral to the song’s creation-I’ve just always liked them as a mode of transportation, as I feel that for me, as a creative, it gives an ample amount of time to reflect and draw creative inspiration from given the free time. Plus the countryside is beautiful.”

He continues, “I spent the whole weekend with him, and though we talked a bit about what was going on, and I expressed my concerns over how he was dealing with it, we mostly just held space for one another in deep understanding; I was his friend, and he was going through it. I was there, and he needed someone to be present. That feeling of silent lucidity reached its apex when both drank an entire pot of coffee and ended up wandering along a back-alley railroad track in Fresno. It felt like the perfect moment of being present with someone as their world is crumbling. Additionally, that train track felt like the perfect metaphor for seeing that the path you’re walking may not be ideal, and may lead to something negative one day. Happy to say that years later he’s doing much, much better.”

We always appreciate the intentional and philosophical depth that Saint Nick the Lesser creates with, and have added Train Tracks to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Saint Nick the Lesser, and anticipate future releases!

The post Saint Nick the Lesser shares his high emotional quotient and metaphorical intellect with new single, Train Tracks appeared first on KIMU.

We recently featured Saint Nick the Lesser as he cemented his “hope-core” sound with the intentional and profound single, Anne-Marie, so when we heard that the unique and talented artist was back with God Bless, we were curious and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.

Drawing us in with a strummed acoustic guitar with a high octane, boundless energy, and textured drums, Saint Nick the Lesser opens God Bless with a playful timbre and the poignant lyrics, “Every night I pray to God and thank the heaven’s up above that someone’s watching over me, oh yeah, and each night I lay down my head I fall asleep so grateful that the Lord above has given me this gift, I know I’m not alone cause they wiretapped my phone… God bless the NSA…”

God Bless has a fun and energetic energy, like something we might hear at a lively church service, but it’s actually making fun of the way the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) watches people. Saint Nick the Lesser pretends to be thankful for the NSA, but in essence he is really being sarcastic.

The star talks about praying and feeling safe because someone is “watching over” them, but they mean government spies, not angels. The song points out how strange it is that the government says they protect our freedom, but they’re always watching us, taking away our privacy. It’s like saying, “You’re safe, but only because you’re being watched all the time.” In the end, it warns that too much control, even if it’s supposed to help, can feel like living in a cage.

What Saint Nick the Lesser is manifesting with God Bless is a subversive commentary with an unapologetic punk energy at a time when we need it the most. Peace comes from independence, but how can we, as a society, feel secure in our own reality when we are being spied on constantly?

On his inspiration to create the song, he says, “I was upset about the encroachment of the US government into people’s lives, and the reduction of privacy rights, and wanted to make fun of people defending it. I’d always liked the chaotic spectacle found in (particularly Southern) Baptist church revivals In the US, and felt that to be the perfect sound for this song, as I thought it captured the essence of worship inherent in the people defending what the feds are doing.”

Naturally, we have added God Bless to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream Anne-Marie, and anticipate future releases from the visionary artist.

The post Saint Nick the Lesser takes us on a high-octane trip with subversive and witty new single, God Bless appeared first on KIMU.

Drawing us in with the sound of falling rain and thunder rising with textured drums, expanding into a luscious guitar soundscape, Saint Nick the Lesser opens Anne-Marie with a captivating, brooding timbre and the situational lyrics, “Ann-Marie‘s been waiting for her train, bundled on a bench, in the cold November rain…”

We are immediately enthralled by Saint Nick the Lesser‘s brand of storytelling, and the poetic prowess with which he brings to life his message. We learn from the lyrics that Ann-Marie’s story is one of quiet resilience in the face of deep suffering.

As Ann-Marie waits for her train in the cold, she is escaping and disentangling herself from a past of violence, fear, and broken promises. Her bruises speak to the cycles of harm that often entrap people in situationships that would diminish their spirit.

Within the trembling and the tears, there is her the courageous act of walking out. Lyrically, the track deals with the struggle between destiny and free will, and even though we may not ask for pain to penetrate our lives, the choice of stepping back and move forward is our own.

The repeating phase “keep moving forward” feels like a mantra, which demonstrates how healing isn’t a single act, but a progression. The train is a metaphor for moving on, and escape isn’t weakness, but the first step in a process of reclaiming your life. In the final verse, the song reminds us that, while change is often painful and scary, it is also inevitable, and that, by walking away, Ann-Marie was choosing herself.

Speaking on his artistry, Saint Nick the Lesser tells us, “Someone once described my music as worship music for secular people; went on to call it ‘hope-core’, and I’ve been running with it ever since.”

He adds, “I try my hardest to put out positive messages; especially when writing about darker subject matter, and Anne-Marie is characteristic of that. This song is about a woman leaving an abusive husband in the midst of turmoil, and ultimately about finding the courage to stay the course in spite of history. Melancholic, somber, introspective, but with a gentle bright current underneath which slowly rises in the end.”

We love the emotional quotient of what Saint Nick the Lesser is bringing to life, and the intentional depth of his artistry. Naturally, we have added Anne-Marie to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to explore the talented artist’s wider discography, including his debut single, Train Tracks, and sophomore single, Catfish Bones.

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