Feature: NÍV – “Home”

The latest single from Kildare-based singer-songwriter NÍV (Niamh Murray), “Home” is a comforting track which serves as a reminder of the general ease which we often feel when we are at home.

niv home

 

An indie folk track, “Home” is dominated by a finger picked guitar, with swirling ethereal ambient effects in the background, with the simplistic instrumentation allowing for Niamh’s voice to firmly take centre stage.

“Home” is also a fine example of how to properly compliment an artist’s voice with a song’s sonic palette, without one becoming overbearing. Between the innately unique tone and timbre of Niamh’s voice which emphasises her Irish accent (similarly to how Hozier and the late Dolores O’Riordan voices are defined by their accents), and what sounds like overdubbed three-part harmonies in the refrain, “Home” cannot help but sound comforting, a feeling which NIamh evocatively sells to the listener.

 

Written during the spring lockdown of 2020, NÍV describes “Home” as being a reflection of the difficult time we find ourselves in while also trying to find some comfort and hope in such a emotionally and mentally straining situation:

“[“Home”] was created under circumstances of uncertainty but its message is still of hope and resilience. The song uses warm descriptions of home as a distraction from pain and anguish. The lyrics of the song mirror what many people are going through at this time. They epitomise people’s need for safety and familiarity and a want for finding ‘our way back home’.”

 

NÍV launched her solo career last year following stints in the country folk outfit Murmur and the indie rock band District Haze respectively.

After selling out her first single launch in Dublin’s The Workman’s Club for “Silly Voices” in March, NÍV was featured as part of Hotpress Magazine’s Lockdown Sessions, before later being added to RTÉ Radio 1’s Recommends List in May.

Niamh’s music is inspired by singer songwriters such as Damien Rice and Joni Mitchell, as well as alternative rock band The Cranberries, with additional influences coming from Irish traditional music and folk songs.

“Home” is NÍV’s fourth single release, following “Moonlight”, “Silly Voices”, and “You”.

Adam Gibbons
Adam Gibbons

Adam Gibbons is a journalist, photographer, blogger, and poet, who primarily writes on music, travel, and mental health. Check out his blog, "Mad for Notepads".

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