KQED : Pass the Aux

New Tracks by MaJo, Nenci, Jwalt, Avi Vinocur and Zyah Belle

Pre-order: https://ffm.to/lydia_ @nencitrann is a queer Vietnamese-American singer/songwriter from Vallejo, CA and based in Oakland. Her music dives into the genres of electronic alternative R&B where she draws inspiration from the 80’s & 90’s R&B/Soul she grew up on. Her artistry comes with the need for genuineness and mutual trust in working with other creatives. 'Lydia' is the named depiction of a lover both potential and remembered. The song plays across timelines of imagining pursuing a queer love through anticipation and memories between nenci and Lydia. The song is a snapshot of the things that go through nenci’s mind of the life of Lydia.

The nymphs and mermaids in the feminist strip club of my imagination are pole dancing to “lydia” by Nenci, a down-tempo, undulating R&B track from the Oakland-based, Vallejo-raised artist. Out this week on San Francisco’s Text Me Records, the new song mixes an experimentalism that evokes the likes of Kelela and Yaeji with an alternative pop sensibility more akin to Rihanna’s ANTI. Throughout “lydia,” Nenci surprises her listeners with sneaky production tricks like footwork-esque drum fills, flute riffs, tempo changes and atmospheric, smoky synths that recall ’80s electronic music greats Art of Noise. (Oh yeah, did I mention she’s classically trained in flute?) An ode to her beloved, and centering queer love, “lydia” is bound to melt the hearts of women who love women—and those who love them.—Nastia Voynovskaya