Billy Nelson: Water Sports

With dark, ominous synth-pop that builds an intense atmosphere, Billy Nelson’s Water Sports delivers little snapshots in time that capture the complexities of rolling through life. Mostly personal, easily relatable, sometimes cutting, once-in-a-while lighthearted and always with this Nick Cave-like, fever dream delivery that feels like the soundtrack to a near-death experience, his high vocals, wrapped in echoes and followed by haunting textures, walk up to the edge of off-putting and pull back to make interesting juxtapositions. Underneath it all, there’s something uniquely catchy about Water Sports, making its replay value extremely high.