EMIL I E N I CO L A S
PRI D E S
Haunting vocals plus dark synths
Sleek and slick Scottish synthpop
Clearly smarter than the average bear, Norway’s Emilie Nicolas
caught the ear of commercial radio DJs in her home country
with an electronic cover of ‘Pstereo’, a track by rather popular
Trondheim rockers the DumDum Boys. Attention duly grabbed,
she wasted little time showing off the flip side of her upbeat
electropop coin. Namely chillingly beautiful vocals, slow-paced,
repeated synth crescendos, and assorted clicks and whirs – all
of which can be heard on her debut album, ‘Like I’m A Warrior’,
which came out last year. The record was only issued in
Norway, though, and that can’t possibly be right. Here’s hoping
one of the smarter labels out there ensures it gets a wider
reaching release over the next few months.
There’s something very sleek and professional about Prides.
Maybe it’s their bird-in-flight logo. Maybe it’s the jauntily angled
“I” in their name. Or maybe it’s the smooth pop blend of cheerful
melodies and buoyant beats, plus the strong sense of storytelling
that runs through ‘The Seeds You Sow’, last year’s debut EP from
the Scottish trio. Whatever it is, they’re already several steps
ahead of many of our other 50 For 15 tips, having appeared at the
closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, supported
Blink 182 at the Brixton Academy, and headlined the BBC
Introducing stage at the Reading & Leeds Festivals. So far so good,
but with their sing-along anthems and energetic live shows, the
chances are Prides have only just begun to scratch the surface of
their bid for world domination.