Like most creations, lots of experimentation is required to achieve the artist’s desired effect. A messy easel beside a beautiful canvas. Hundreds of intertwined cables strewn around the Record button and a bubbling test tube splashing about on a laboratory floor. A true master hides the mess so all the attention is focused on the end result. A beautiful painting, a keen melody or a perfectly crafted concoction. This is Nico Rivers. Where many artists fail to hide the strife of their experimentation, Nico does a master’s job of cleaning up the mess, leading his listeners on an effortless journey of endless explorations.

His upcoming 2021 release, Masquerade of Lullabies, is another shapeshifting example of artistic evolution. With songs ranging from indie-rock anthems like “Edge of a Knife” and “Even Holding” to the introspective and nostalgic explorations of “Patient Harbor” and “Pages of the Ancients”, Rivers’ sophomore release continues to expand his sonic palette.

Written in the winter of 2020 and recorded just as lockdown was taking place in Massachusetts, the material on this record deals largely with issues and events occurring in his hometown with stories of lifelong friendships, drug addiction and a disheartening view of the American healthcare system. This is a true picture of suburban life in New England, blemishes and all.