Nadia Reid – Enter Now Brightness (Slow Time/Chrysalis)
With Enter Now Brightness, Nadia Reid delivers an album shaped by upheaval, movement, and self-reckoning. She has long been celebrated for her ethereal voice and deeply personal storytelling, establishing herself as one of New Zealand’s most distinctive singer-songwriters.
Across her three previous albums—Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs, Preservation, and Out of My Province—she has woven elements of folk, indie, and Americana into songs marked by quiet intensity and lyrical precision. With Enter Now Brightness, she steps into a richer, more textured sound, an evolution reminiscent of Sharon Van Etten.
Now based in Manchester, UK, the album reflects Reid’s personal transitions of recent years—relocation, motherhood, and the unpredictable rhythms of a life split between places. Questions linger: “Did I hold the light?” “Does it matter?” “Were you changed or chained by the memory?” Rather than seeking to explain or justify change, Enter Now Brightness sits wisely with uncertainty.
Musically, longtime guitarist and collaborator Sam Taylor returns, alongside Tom Healy, who adds a second guitar, keyboards, and production. Healy’s presence is unmistakable in the album’s balance of delicacy and depth. Having worked with Tiny Ruins and Marlon Williams, he brings a subtle yet expansive production style, shaping the album’s arrangements to emphasise the lyrics and vocals. The interplay between acoustic moments and layered, full-band compositions adds to the album’s drama—each choice heightening the emotion. This contrast is evident in Emmanuelle, Hotel Santa Cruz, and Chained Unchanged. Also returning are Joe McCallum (drums, percussion) and Richard Pickard (bass), with Finn Scholes adding horn flourishes.
Cry on Cue opens with Reid’s voice hovering above ringing piano notes before the band joins in, building the song with quiet assurance. In Baby Bright, her voice moves from soft restraint to a pleading rise as she sings, “Only way to let her know.” Keyboard notes accompany each phrase before swelling into a warmer, layered sound, with Scholes’ horn adding subtle punctuation. Hold It Up begins with delicate instrumentation, the line “I want to breathe again” delivered with quiet intensity before the full band swells in.
The album’s most dramatic moment comes with Chained Unchanged, where dynamic drums, swirling electronic soundscapes, and textured guitars shift Reid’s voice lower in the mix, creating an urgent, propulsive sonic experience. In contrast, Second Nature begins with rolling acoustic strums that build into waves of percussion and bass notes before retreating.
At its most musically direct, Enter Now Brightness leans into pop or rock structures without losing its meditative core. Hotel Santa Cruz is a powerful, intense track, driven by steady drums and strident guitar, with Reid’s vocals adding drama, making it feel like the album’s anchor. She asks, “When you get back to where you started, does it matter?”, a question that lingers across the record.
Across the ten songs there are electronic surges, quieter moments, and pauses, mirroring the lyrical themes—things press forward, only to pull back, leaving space for doubt, memory, and echoes of what has been left behind. The contrast between acoustic-led moments and richer, immersive arrangements heightens the tension, where restraint allows emotion to breathe, and fuller instrumentation brings intensity to the surface.
Enter Now Brightness is a record that doesn’t just reflect change but explores its impacts. It is an album of questions, not answers, and in that uncertainty, Reid begins to embrace change.
John Bradbury
Enter Now Brightness is released February 7th, 2025 on Slow Time & Chrysalis Records
