Nikita Lev – Suspended (2025)
New Yorker Nikita Lev has finally released her latest EP, Suspended, and I was excited about hearing the completed work. After already being treated to her previous singles ‘No One is Gonna’ and her debut ‘Kill Her Mind’, I was excited about hearing the completed work.
Well, let’s get into it, and how better to start the EP than where it all began: ‘Kill Her Mind’. With a dreaminess that is just compounded by the hazy guitars, whilst allowing Lev’s vocals to own the track, tell her story perfectly and throw the listener post-breakup mindset many can relate to. Having this kind of awareness to elicit such an empathetic response from the listener shows real class on Lev’s part and displays natural talent as a performer.
Moving swiftly on to her second single, ‘No One is Gonna’, seemed like the natural progression. I found Lev’s words on this track particularly insightful: “This song is about leaving an interaction with someone you love and feeling full. Walking away and recognising your love for that person and what they mean to you, regardless of anything that could jeopardise it” This shows a lyrical maturity not usually found on a debut record; however, Lev has nailed it with all the grace of a pop veteran.
Next came the first of two unreleased tracks, ‘So Clear’, which had me from the opening bars. A cerebral exploration of all the emotional contradictions that fill the world we live in, love and loss, connection and solitude and how there is no definitive explanation for how these feelings can co-exist. Lev expressed it perfectly when discussing the record: “It’s about the moments where you don’t have resolution yet – where you’re still sitting with the weight of something you can’t quite name.”
All I can say for the track which followed is, what a way to end a debut record. With ‘Your Dove’, Lev has no business going that hard on her debut. It’s a track I’ll be telling everyone I know to check out. With a powerful grunge sensibility and the atmospheric guitars that transcend into an almost post-rock sound, you get carried along by her beautiful, haunting vocals.
Sitting at just over 11 minutes, Suspended proves that the duration is irrelevant; it’s what you do with it that counts, and honestly, it just means getting to listen to such a great collection of tracks 6 times in just over an hour isn’t something I’ll complain about. I just can’t wait to hear more!
Find out more about Nikita on her official website, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Prospect PR
