EP Review: Nextraterrestrial

Frau Knotz is the performing name of multi-talented Lauren Nottingham, a singer, pianist, producer and composer based in New Plymouth. Having released the first of her singles in 2022, she now bestows her EP Nextraterrestrial upon then planet Earth. Along with her multitude of talents comes a multitude of influences: La Roux, Grimes, Robyn, Devin Townsend, Frost, and Dream Theater are some that she’s cited.

Frau Knotz is an artist who uses the medium of music to paint huge, beautiful, and inspiring pictures. Nextraterrestrial is crafted as an otherworldly experience, to be experienced as a continuous whole (the final track is exactly that, and I highly recommend it, it’s a magnificent listen, and each song perfectly gives way to the next. I love what this brings to experiencing these songs, being a child of the 70’s, I’m still accustomed to listening to albums in their intended order, and it’s very obvious that Frau Knotz has taken great care in constructing this track/listening experience).

The first track is the wonderfully titled Astral Faery On Her Float To The Moon, and the ensuing music paints a very vivid picture of just that, a light and sparkling melody, surrounded by luminous flashes and deep, dark rumbles, the whole thing infused with a sense of wonder and delight. Being quite the Sci-Fi nerd, I’m loving the interstellar theme, which is continued into the well-crafted, floaty New Wave/Avant-Pop style of Other Futures, a unique and fresh production, full and crisp, from the explosive beginning to the final breathy “Yeah…”, Frau Knotz leads you gently by the hand through a brand new galaxy.

I’m a sucker for a lovely big run of arpeggios, so Odyssey I grabbed me immediately. A soaring vocal line is joined by some big bassy stabs just after the halfway mark of this short but sweet little beauty. Rush is a soft and romantic song, singing of the delicious rush of spending one-on-one time with the one you love, the world outside silenced and forgotten, only the two of you existing. Musically, a perfect rendering of that emotion. Blissful.

The Heart Of Spring continues the romantic theme, but with a more dance-inducing beat. No less gorgeously dreamy on the vocal melody front though, her voice a pure joy to listen to. Her prog influences show here too, a long, low, quiet breakdown subtly leads back into that super dance-worthy beat, into a passage where her voice bursts forth triumphantly, only to then lull the song to its end. In Odyssey II, a deep, intimidating voice speaks over an uncomfortable background, like a haunted fairground ride, of life in its disturbing aquarium, an “underworld of indigo” that sounds like an altogether unpleasant place to find oneself. An urgent and compelling feel drives the final track in the experience, Skimpy Jumperville, a fast-paced instrumental. A pulsing rhythm and a surging melody, interjected with choral stabs, multiple layers making this a tasty slice of aural lasagna.

Nextraterrestrial is an absolute must-listen. Luckily for you, it’s available on Soundcloud, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music.