Making waves: Irish/Scottish Traditional Music, Experimental, Fusion trio from Toronto Canada.

NUA came up with an auspicious debut in a form of an EP. It gives us the taste of what this trio can offer not just today but also in future releases. These are clean, crisp tunes that sparkle with precision and showmanship. The audio quality is something get excited about. The surface sound of every instrument is captured giving us a degree of nuance and atmosphere.

The EP starts with Fizzbuzz which showcases the thunderous bodhran playing of Jacob McCauley and the invigorating strums of Graeme McGillivray on guitar. These sounds are sliced up with James M Law’s luminous playing on fiddle. That fiddle simply sparkles in all of the tracks.

The Draw is perhaps what one would call a ‘carrier single’ due to its upfront rhythm and fast paced characteristic that draws influences from Jazz, Folk and even World. Here, Jacob McCauley’s bodhran becomes emotive, giving us an impression that this percussion has finally reached its tonal height and is capable of being a lead instrument. We have to remember, Jacob plays different types of bodhrans including those custom made by Christian Hedwitschak. This is a tune that’s guaranteed to get you dancing.

Martin’s Yellow Tea Pot has that folk pop quality that waltzes on you like a sunny afternoon. We hear exquisite chord structures as well as interesting changes of rhythms. The guitar has a crunchy sound that really keeps everything together.

The Hijack is a perfect track to close the EP. It has all the elements of how ripe talents should sound like. Confidence, experimentation and cohesiveness are traits of what a good album should possess-and they are all here. If they are able to come up with a full sound in this 4 track EP, just imagine what a complete album would be like. You would be missing a huge part of your musical life if you don’t get this EP!