Elsy Wameyo – Nilotic
I’m constantly coming back to this new one from Adelaide based Elsy Wameyo, a song called Nilotic which is effectively a refence to the Nile river and the group of languages spoken across a region of Africa. The opening and closing lines are powerful moments but I find myself most compelled when Elsy leans into the specificity. A tour de afrika on expatriated minerals and cultural exports that Elsy reclaims as her own, a parallel to the identity she grasps with white knuckles and an iron will all through this record. She’s smart, assertive and if you’ve watched the corresponding music video you’ll know the aesthetic doesn’t miss either. I was preeeeetty surprised to find that Elsy produced the damn thing herself too. What can’t she do? Add to her list of assets a sweetness of vocal that she holds back from this record, something you’d note if you’ve been listening to the last few of Elsy’s releases. She’s leaned more heavily into emotive soulful songwriting but here she channels the sentiment of that songwriting but lacquers it in conquest. Nonetheless, it’s amazing to see an artist feel so dominant without ever veering into aggression. Mighty.
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[…] effectively what Elsy’s done with River Nile, springboarding off the pure strength of 2021 single Nilotic into something that, impossibly, hits even harder, faster and just as magically produced by her own […]