NIDALA is the project of Nidala Barker, a French-Aboriginal singer-songwriter, activist and gardener born of the Aboriginal Djugun people in north Western Australia and now based on the Bundjalung country of Byron Bay. Her work strives to reconcile us with ourselves, our communities and the natural environments in which we make our homes, and hopes that from this position of strength we can come together to assume the responsibility of protecting both each other and the planet.
After bursting onto the scene in 2019 with debut single ‘Howl at the Moon’, NIDALA is now preparing to unveil her debut EP, Colours of My People, which will be released via LUSTRE. A release that takes its own values seriously, the project is 100% carbon neutral and promises to explore “themes of love, connection, healing, lineage and pride.”
Ahead of the full EP, NIDALA has released the first single. Titled ‘One of Those Days’, it is a slice of soulful slow-burn that sees Barker joined by Matthew Collins (guitar), Charity Turner (drums) and Scott Finch (bass). Thematically it preaches patience, acknowledging that even during these drastic times it is important to slow down and recuperate.
“This track is my ode to slowness,” Barker says, “It’s about the days you can’t quite get to where you want to be, and everything feels foggy and hard. It’s a reminder that we all deserve some rest.”