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Nickateeen Is Haunting on “gun girl”

This Romanian singer-songwriter makes music that speaks to Ethel Cain, and "gun girl" is an amazing addition.

The overlapping gut-wrenching whisperings of “gun girl” is only a snapshot of nickateeen’s unfinished debut EP, Doily. The Romanian artist cuts through the ambient pop-rock atmosphere with jarring yet hollow electric guitars perfect for a b-film slasher.

“gun girl” on the surface is a song about a girl who just snaps, deciding to go on a bloody revenge plot. “Run, she’s got a gun. You better run, she’s not afraid,” he warns. “Hot burning desire, honey I might leave you to die.” There are eerie echoes of nostalgia, like cracked motorways, billboards advertising life insurance and even a Mazzy Star poster. “gun girl” is claustrophobic, with no room for reason. Much like the girl, and the pulses of guitar– you are gone.

“Halloween music” isn’t the right word; there is no dress-up or performative quality. If anything, nickateeen itches the underbelly of gruesome reality– private thoughts made public, pains laid bare. Not anything fake. Most times, the darkness doesn’t leave the safeguard of SoundCloud, dust-collected demos telling a sordid tale.

His Spotify profile dives into the making of his still-unreleased EP, saying, “Doily is about sex abuse, substance abuse, grief, change and the trauma passed by sacred loved ones, some a blessing some a curse. Love and its self-destructive impact on myself.”

New Beginnings for Nickateeen

The new year began tumultuous for nickateeen, whose music momentarily halted after his computer wiped his first-take EP. Perhaps, the second time’s the charm (and even better) since he teased lyrics to his “favourite song he made so far,” titled “curdled milk. “

“I’ve lost all my work, all my personal projects gone. incredibly heartbroken, and have no words to describe how I’m feeling right now. Most upset about losing my song toothfairy. that song was my life and I spent a year working on that song and it’s now nothing :(“

Nick Belemet, the person behind Nickateeen, via Instagram Story.

The setback didn’t stop Ethel Cain from discovering “Algernon,” a dreary Sylvia-Plath-sampled track about stealing your ex’s soul for all the pain they caused. A pretty relatable topic until the crashing cymbals nearly eclipse the Frankenstein-ish lyrics. “You’re turning me into a monster. I starve myself to the bone, rend my own bare lungs,” he sings. “So the smoke alarms call death, but I wanna steal your soul.”

His catalog mirrors Ethel’s own discography, a similar musing and ambiance. Much so that Ethel Cain promoted “Algernon” and asked to collaborate. However, even if fans are still waiting for it, that didn’t stop the super fan from meeting his idol.

Nickateeen just sent off his new song to mastering, one step closer to finishing the Doily EP and another Music Daily review.

What do you think of nickateeen’s latest single, “gun girl? Let us know in the comments!

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Imogen
Imogen
10 months ago

He’s such an incredible artist, I can’t wait for the EP release! It’s gonna be emotional whiplash but in a good way. Excellent article as well!