Over a decade of dedication to his craft, never skipping a beat with his efforts, Los Angeles’s very own N8NOFACE is back with his new EP, As of Right Now, released via Stones Throw Records. Layered together with instrumentation backing from multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer, Chico Mann a.k.a. Marcos Garcia, this EP delves deeper into a vulnerable N8. Emitting the sonic energy of west-coast twang As of Right Now gives listeners new and seasoned alike an experience we’ve yet to hear.
As of Right Now takes a tonal shift lyrically and sonically for N8. In past releases N8’s discography was fueled with darker themes and imagery compared to this EP. Yet, it’s still rooted in the dark world that surrounds us just with more focus on expressing vulnerability through a collection of love ballads. N8 attributed this shift to how “it was really the music that brought it out. This album was all completely produced by Chico Mann of Here Lies Man. After being on the road together we talked about where I’d like to go sonically and a sound he’s always wanted to do as well. He wrote all the music, played the instruments and would send me the instrumental already titled…really did just do its own taking me wherever.”
The relationship between Chico and N8 gave the EP a place to be birthed by wavy, silky-smooth serenades. The relationship between the two blossomed from when N8 would share demos with him and get them back with a Chico twist. “He started taking my demos and fleshing them up and replaying the stuff I wrote but better and adding on. We just really got our chemistry going and then by the time this came around we started speaking about an album produced and played solely by him and me just doing vocals. It’s been really fun to play with these sounds and songs.”
Heading into unchartered waters for this EP, its inception wasn’t all a walk in the park. N8 referred to his creative challenges were “writing melodies or top lines to songs that were what I called real music [laughs]. I mean again I’m no producer so my stuff I produce solo is very minimal, few tracks and simple playing on synths. I almost just write a lot of my solo stuff to just baselines or distorted weird sounds. But Chico gave me these songs where guitars and synths are all weaving in and out of each other more things happening, I had to find my space to sit in them and not fuck it up.”
This EP is an important milestone in N8’s journey. From the days of Dirty Songs About a Girl to As Of Right Now N8 has come a long way in his life. He reflected on his evolution from older projects to in how “so much of that was created when I was all fucked up on meth or crack or cocaine. So, the first thing that stands out when asked that isn’t even creatively it’s just growth as a human. But that helps the art where I thought I needed that shit to make art like if I oust the pain, now I see that’s bullshit. I can now tap into any emotion faster being off that shit.”
This all relays back to the overall title As Of Right Now where “the song speaks about two people on different paths. But I thought it was so fitting for the title track also, saying this is sonically where I am at and what I am exploring right now.” The journey of N8 is far from over and there are always more lessons to be learned. He expressed how “this whole experience of letting someone write the music for you with your voice in mind and being almost scared to sing when you don’t think you can sing but find your voice. I don’t need to have some beautiful voice to have a voice.”
As of Right Now is out now, and you can order it from Stones Throw Records. Follow N8NOFACE on Instagram for future updates.
Photo courtesy of N8NOFACE
