Nick Hakim is back in action, and if you weren't already strung-out on the first half of his EP, Where We Will go Pt. 1, then this is most definitely going to get you hooked. With every release, it seems as if he effortlessly runs circles around most of the competition, and his style and taste is pretty much unmatched at the moment. For this song, he went almost one-hundred percent lo-fi for the recording process, but not in the way you might expect. The intro sounds are laden with static and white noise, but even with the extra fuzz around the edges, Nick's voice and his brilliant piano work cut through the fog and will hit you right in the feels. If you listen hard enough, you can even here the creaks of what could be the rickety piano bench as he rocks back a forth while plugging away at the keys. Pretty cool. Even with that brilliant intro though, "Lift Me Up" reaches maximum awesomeness about half way in. Listen carefully, and you'll notice that when certain lyrics get emphasized (most notably when the volume gets pumped up as Nick sings "Lift me up from here"), the production finish gets progressively more clear and deep. This recording wizardry coalesces into something truly magical when you hear it for the first time, and with repeated listens, it only gets better. We're not totally sure if all of the background textures and noises were manufactured in a studio, or this was, in fact, recorded in subpar conditions on purpose, but one thing we do know is that Nick keeps outdoing himself with every release, and "Lift Me Up" is no exception to that trend.
Nick Hakim