Nisa - "Smokescreen"

Photo by Rhianna Hajduch

The latest single from Nisa is an example of a song that consistently defies itself but still works remarkably well. The project of Nisa Lumaj just released "Smokescreen," which is predominately an indie-pop song. It's a full and lush sounding song, but there is something lo-fi and almost bedroom pop about it. As previously said, it's a pop song (indie pop is still pop), but there are crunching punk rock guitars throughout the song. Nisa has created a song that is both lovely and that will find you drawn in no matter what, but there is still a sense of discordance in the song. There's a vibe that the song could easily be played in a giant field during a festival, and that it would fit right in being played in a tiny twenty person coffee shop. Nisa has given us one of the most intriguing pop songs of 2024.

Nisa says of her latest single:

"I wrote ‘Smokescreen’ about the dance between seeking closure while being unable to fully let go. I was stuck in a loop of repetitive behavior and somehow also expecting to feel different, and after a while, it started to weigh on me. In order to make a change, I had to admit that I was prone to harmful patterns, and this song is about that self-realization."

You can watch the video for "Smokescreen" below. Shapeshifting is due out April 26 on Tender Loving Empire Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Nisa, check out the artist's website.