“Nick Delffs is not a protest singer,” read the opening lines of his profile by label Mama Bird Recording Co. “He’s not a gospel singer. Still, subversiveness and spirituality permeate Transitional Phase, his long-awaited second solo album.” Perhaps this is the logical outcome for record written amid a global pandemic, the loss of friends, not to mention his first experience of fatherhood. A collection of songs by an artist forced to face up to the inevitability of change whether he liked it or not. Lead single ‘Power and Position’ introduced both the style and themes of the album, wrestling with concepts of stubbornness, failure and transformation, as well as the universe’s habit of making a comedy out of anyone who resists the pull of its will. “The idea is conveyed via a danceable new wave groove,” we wrote in a preview, “the song’s thematic shackles shaken off with loose-limbed confidence, providing both a cautionary tale and soothing consolation to anyone who finds themselves pulled out of shape by the crude forces of our world.”
Latest single and album opener ‘Transformation’ is the curtain raiser for the record, both in terms of the synth-led sound (created with help from Eli Moore and Ashley Eriksson of LAKE) and, as the title suggests, the concepts of change which run through the songs. “There’s a transformation always taking place,” Delffs explains. “The constant change. The only constant. I found myself thinking about this a lot and my meditation on it grew into this groove. There is a leaning into the uncertainty here and an acceptance of those things unknown or not fully formed yet. Instead of fearing change, I decided to experiment and have fun with it in this song.”
Transitional Phase is out on the 26th July via Mama Bird Recording Co. and you can pre-order it now from the Nick Delffs Bandcamp page.
