Astrorama Records [Release date 26.06.26]

Danni Nicholls is a British-born, Nashville based alt.country, singer-songwriter rooted in Americana.

What sets her aside from blander elements of Nashville is her willingness to go deep lyrically and explore vulnerability as part of the process of self healing and resilience.

‘Making Moves’ is a song driven album, strong on lyrical minutia, transatlantic vocals, salient hooks and seamless band interplay.

It’s an aptly titled album which deals with her decision to move from The UK to Nashville. It explores an arc of emotions ranging from confessional introspection to uplifting intensity on a journey of self affirmation.

The album also has a diary like quality, not too far removed from the younger Joni Mitchell, with songs that drip with heartfelt emotion, lyrical clarity and the sense of reaching out.

The fact her relationships songs are about women helps avoid the usual Nashville clichés, while contributing to her focus and songcraft.

Nicholls’s pivotal crystal clear voice and acoustic guitar are framed by Sarah Peacock’s meticulous production, which illuminates Nicholl’s emotions.

An array of ethereal and echo laden instrumentation is never too far away from an 80’s electro feel, but evokes lyric prowess within powerful soundscapes.

The synth led ‘Honey’ for example, is a well worked break-up relationship song, on which the music builds the intensity of spiky lyrical angst.

Then there’s the vocal sweep of the outstanding ‘The Pendulum’, on which the tremulous electro feel perfectly fits her evocative lyrics:

“I painted on a face I recognise, one I wore before in another life, in the shape of you.”

Ironically, it’s the sheer zest of songs like that which makes ‘I’ll Carry On’ sound a little mundane, even if it does have a big choral backing,

‘Making Moves’ is a radio friendly Americana album with folk music antecedents. It’s shot through with subconscious imagery and unfiltered stories with enough of a confessional feel to bring a blues influence.

The album opens powerfully with the declaratory ‘Free Wheel’, a fluid medium paced song with a jingle inflected layered sound and an engaging vocal.

The lascivious ‘I Want You’ finds her mid-range voice offset by rich bv’s as if the producer realises that there’s a need for vocal variety.

The superbly crafted ‘Love Is Letting Go’ illustrates the point, being an immaculately produced track with impeccable phrasing, moments of double tracked vocals, a lilting bass line and tremolo guitar, all flowing deliciously into to the repeated song title.

And if the rich sonic quality and smooth bv’s of ‘Hide’ almost over egg the cake, it’s still an intoxicating tapestry of poetic lyrics, intricate acoustic guitar, aching pedal steel, feather- light strings, cello, sax and hurriedly repeated bv’s.

The lead single ‘The Wreckage’ is an exciting summation of what she does so well, as she confidently attacks the self affirming lyrics with gusto, leading to a chorus that presents the thematic core of the album as whole.

“”I rise above the wreckage , Hover in the space between, The end and the beginning, Do I lose myself, Or do I chose to come back, To me?”

The title track initially uses a Joni Mitchell style close-to-the-mic style with a therapy style stream of consciousness approach, which brings a sense of contrast:

“That the broken parts of me, Just fit the broken parts of you, And that could never be, That could never be good. I’m making moves, I’m self soothing.”

Interestingly, she also uses lyrical comparison as a function of the song’s message, as her voice soars over a big layered string arrangement.

‘Making Moves’ will need to find its niche in a crowded market place, but the substance of Danni Nicholls songs and her crossover style suggest she’s already very close to achieving that. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 8 June 2026

LAKE Hey Sam (indie)
VOODOO WISEGUYS Someday You’ll Know (indie)
RUN REMEDY Big Nothing (indie)
BLACK ROSE REBELLION Hail The Rebel Queen (Pavement Entertainment)
DOMINUM Dark Melodies (Napalm Records)
COLD JULY I’ll Write That Down (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 8 June 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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