Nick Vivid - Volatile (2025) [Hi-Res]

For the uninitiated, Nick Vivid is going to get some time to get used to. You see, the New York City-based artist is not your average creative figure. Self-described as “niche mogul. underground sensation. left of center superman.”, Vivid navigates an aural and visual space that’s completely his own, with frequent forays into eclectic and vibrant space funk territories, all drenched in lo-fi gloom and leftfield mystery. Whichever way you look at it, it’s clear that nothing about Nicky is ordinary.

‘Volatile’ is the perfect evidence of that. Marking the American visionary’s latest album, the record packs twelve tracks with a heightened retro funk allure, a mixture of jangly synths, disco grooves, and a bunch of otherworldly, electronic textures. Crowning it all, we find Vivid’s playful falsetto vocals, here delivering a nostalgic tale of youth ingenuity, unrestrained hope, and fearless ambition. Such sonic and lyrical goodness melts into a cathartic fever-dream, a place that’s equally grounding and aiding escapism.

Delving deeper into the inspiration behind ‘Volatile’, Vivid explains: “These songs are me looking back at a time when everything felt raw and uncertain. It’s about the people I met, the mistakes I made, and the dreams I kept chasing even when they felt out of reach.” As the keen listener might expect, the record also benefits from a great deal of DIY action, with Nick building his own recording gear, from custom guitar pedals to quirky synth filters. What more could you wish for?