Zweieinhalb Jahre nach der noch viel postpunkigeren EP “Hot City” erscheint im Februar das selbstbetitelte Albumdebüt des aus Los Angeles stammenden Projektes Riki um die dem Death Rock-Dunstkreis entwachsenen Künstlerin und Musikerin Niff Nawor. Mit “Napoleon” und “Böse Lügen” sind bereits zwei Tracks zu hören, die den musikalischen Ort des Albums zwischen eingängigem Synthpop und einem dunklerem NDW-Sound umreißen.
“Riki is the Los Angeles based dark synth-pop outfit commandeered by the mysterious Niff Nawor, a visual artist and musician active in the deathrock / anarcho-punk scenes of the California bay area (formerly a member of Crimson Scarlet), before founding her solo endeavor as Riki in 2017. Niff’s desire to explore her own sound manifested in the recording of the Hot City cassette tape in 2017, which featured Chelsey Crowley of Crimson Scarlet, Skot Brown of Phantom Limbs and Peđa of Doomed to Extinction.
Released on Commodity Tapes and later reissued on vinyl by the well-regarded Symphony of Destruction label, Riki followed the release of the single with several small tours and festival dates, performing with such acts as Light Asylum, Black Marble, and Trisomie 21. For her self-titled debut album for Dais, Riki explores courage, physicality, and romance across eight timeless synth pop anthems.
Produced and engineered by hardware-based synthesist Matia Simovich of INHALT, influences and ideas are worn proudly without deviating from fresh and daring electro-pop territory. Nostalgic cues can be heard ranging from Neue Deutsch Welle, early Adrian Sherwood productions, classic ZYX Italo Disco, Japanese Visual Kei and even classic new wave/pop like Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, and early Madonna.”