And we’re not okay
Listening to Sarah Nimmo is like being the main character of your own spy thriller. Emotional and a tad sexy, powerful yet vulnerable, but always self-aware. The London-based singer-songwriter clings to these charged feelings, anchoring her sound somewhere between the sensibilities of 80s–90s British pop and the depth of soul—and especially so in her latest single, The Soul.
Airy organ synths open up the scene, and drum patterns start matching the tone. Nimmo’s deep vocals chime in, building toward something gutting —a love song, the type where you have to hold your chest from feeling too much. The Soul’s cinematic visualiser emphasises this intensity of a Bondesque plot set in what-seems a quaint English town, rendered in some black and white film. Opening up with a Nimmo waking up in a convertible, we follow her across her mysterious journey, one where the gutwrenching becomes literal (with a wound), matching the lyrics. Nimmo sings out “If loving her is the body, then loving you is the soul” — and sometimes a blunt comparison is all it takes to make us spiral endlessly. Let us all sit with that, as the video closes with a defeated Nimmo, knees on the floor. And if that isn’t the state of our soul.
The song release stands confidently within Nimmo’s upcoming debut album, How Can I Explain Myself?, dropping June 12. Following a decade-long career as the front singer of her former band, Nimmo now explores the introspection that comes with renewal and going solo. Her alt-pop sound flirts with groove-led productions, laying the groundwork for her measured vocal delivery and assured command.
Photography by George Eyres
Words by Lora Lolev
