And now it’s time for something different! NKOS is out with a new single on 13 November: Can’t Wait, off their upcoming debut album From Dust To Life (due early 2021 via Beatbuzz Records). Their moody, dark synth and driving rhythms have a cinematic quality that wrap their beats tightly around you, “filtering through to the tastemakers, ad-land and soundtrack compilers with indecent haste”, says the band. NKOS includes industrial, EDM and house music in their palette, deftly blending them with mid-80s goth and alternative. The upcoming album features tracks co-produced by Jagz Kooner, with mixing and mastering by Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher/The Soft Moon), and will be available on digital and cassette formats.
Initially a studio-based project, NKOS has evolved into a full band brought together by friendship, the internet and sometimes sheer luck. NKOS comprise four artists from very different backgrounds – and locations – who share a love of deep, edgy electronica. Singer/songwriter Nancy Natali was born in Australia but grew up in Geneva and Rome; her beautiful vocals honed in bands of indie/alternative leanings. Producer Flavio Manieri perfected his electronic house and pop sonics, filtered through a love for the Cocteau Twins and Portishead, between Poland and Italy, and it was in Rimini that he met renowned producer and DJ Chris Shape, whose studio skills have enhanced many dance-music anthems as well as the acid techno of Franz and Shape. Stoner-psych-rock guitarist Marcus Billeri, meanwhile, lives in Paris.
These diverse upbringings and influences only play to NKOS’ strengths, resulting in a powerful, harmonic mix of synth-based techno, industrial and electro. Their dense, innovative sound piqued the interest of producer Jagz Kooner (Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, Rammstein).
Check out the new track below: