The Daily Spin, April 27
Yuna | Nocturnal
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: Nocturnal (2013)
Artist: Yuna
Link:
Eclectic yet cool, Yuna’s Nocturnal is, on paper, exactly what I like about a lot of pop-allegiant music, folding in smooth instrumentation with hypnotic beats and a knack for well-structured orchestration. It baffles me, frankly, that her work never landed on my radar sooner - a couple of her songs have landed on various ‘Missed Hits’-type playlists from Spotify, but that’s really about it.
Despite it never quite making a massive mark on the world of music, it’s very clear that Yuna is wildly talented - and, especially, as an emerging artist from a part of the world not particularly known for pop stardom, it’s all the more impressive, the niche she’s managed to carve out.
All this to say - frankly - I wish it did a little more for me. I mentioned, right at the start of this, how much I feel like this album should knock it out of the park on paper - and I mean that - but I feel as though it doesn’t quite hit like it should, pulled punches that leave room to be desired. It’s only unfortunate in the sense that I’m left feeling a little hollow.
Rating: 7.7/10
Best Tracks: Someone Who Can; Come Back
Worst Tracks: Escape