Nicole Schneit, aka Air Waves, has a voice that sounds brittle and vulnerable as though she’s summoning up the courage to sing in as joyful a manner as possible. To my ears, her singing sounds endearingly awkward, even at times tone deaf, but it works as an antidote to those artists who hide behind an impregnable image of self-confidence
Recorded at Figure 8 studios in Brooklyn, NY, with a bunch of musical collaborators and backing vocalists. Cass McCombs guests on the single Alien and Rina Mushonga features on the album’s danceable opener The Roof.
The album was all but ready one week before lockdown but its release has been delayed and ended up being finished off remotely and virtually. Transience and the uncertainly of predicting what the future holds feed into the title track which is about a venue in NY that was only open for eight months.
Arrangements are uncluttered and orientated towards a pop audience rather than rock fans. Schneit says “I’ve loved using backing tracks lately, having just a mic and singing and thinking about my body and not hiding behind my guitar. Dancing around! It’s built a different kind of confidence level.”
On the buoyant Wait , she sings wistfully (and lustfully?) of a demon lover as well as exploring the need to appreciate the simplicity of life.
The short but sweet album is over in just under 26 minutes so she certainly can’t be accused of stretching things out excessively.
