SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NICO HEDLEY – PAINTERLY

Nico Hedley
Painterly
Whatever’s Clever Records

How do you combine the countrified ramblings of one George Jones and wide excursions everywhere, particularly into jazzy plains of one and only Destroyer? If that is a question you need answered, you might as well take a dive into Painterly, the debut album by one Nico Hedley from Queens, NY. Hedley’s name is probably an unknown to many, but those more into realms of indie rock the name might sound a bit familiar, as he also plays bass for the likes of Ben Seretan, Beverly, and Alpenglow.

All this wouldn’t matter much if Hedley’s album was up to scratch or patchy with flashes of interest. Actually, on Painterly we meet a fully assured singer-songwriter who knows exactly where he comes from and where he is going with his music.

Hedley is not afraid to confront and tackle some difficult subjects in his songs, where on “Waking Dreams” he deals with depression. As he puts it, the ways we pretend to be okay for the benefit of others, and how we struggle to keep our heads above the malignant nostalgia that seeps into everything as we get older.

The result we get on the whole of Painterly is a set of mature, fully-rounded songs that at the same time stay routed in Hedley’s Americana/roots base without the fear to cross into other musical genres with ease.

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