Niia – V - NewMusicPulse.space

Niia – V

      An ever-expanding realm of emotion, experimentation, and compositional accuracy...

      **14 · 10 · 2025**

      Niia's new album, 'V', defies expectations—it's superior. Featuring jazz vocals alongside a classical piano backdrop, 'V' represents Niia's self-described return to her roots—a heartfelt tribute to her initial aspirations of becoming a jazz vocalist inspired by the greats.

      Niia (pronounced Nye-uh) Bertino is an Italian-American artist based in Los Angeles, steadily breaking barriers of genre, tradition, and the established norm. Her lyrical clarity reflects her musical prowess, and 'V' elevates Niia's vocal talents to explore the intricacies of love, mixing self-recognition with heartbreak.

      'V' is a daring project—sonically, compositionally, and lyrically. It opens with ‘fucking happy,’ where layers of vocals and piano complement eerie rhythms, inviting listeners into the auditory landscape of V. The kickoff single is striking and daring in the finest sense, as Niia quickly establishes that the album will defy conventional rules.

      Niia's debut project, ‘OFFAIR: Mouthful of Salt,’ had a pop-oriented sound reminiscent of urban landscapes and shiny skyscrapers. In this new venture, she collaborates with Spencer Zahn, Lawrence Rothman, and Chloe Angelides, creating a team that excitingly lies at the intersection of jazz and indie. The result is sharp studio recordings that juxtapose experimental pop elements while capturing the essence of jazz.

      Track titles like ‘Throw my head out the window’ and ‘I found the restaurant’ serve as intriguing invitations to the sonic universe Niia inhabits. Rooted in honest and straightforward lyricism, Niia's capability to convey complex emotions with simple words is just one of the many ways the album stands out.

      ‘with Feeling’ begins with a beautiful sax interlude, transitioning into ‘Pianos and Great Danes,’ which immerses listeners in tech-driven beats and rapid rhythms. While broadly categorized under jazz, Niia's genre-defying approach elevates this concept to a new level.

      The most intimate and groundbreaking record to date, V is an ever-expanding journey of emotion, innovation, and compositional finesse.

      8/10

      Words: Rachel Min Leong

      —

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Instead of the conventional red, yellow, and green signals, this system features five different settings, including yellow, flashing yellow, red, and flashing red. Drivers in Massachusetts are experiencing confusion due to new pedestrian hybrid beacons. These beacons have five distinct phases, four of which involve yellow or red lights. Many drivers are stopping unnecessarily, while others are failing to stop altogether. While the basic rules of the road remain unchanged, new elements are occasionally introduced. Recently, attention has shifted towards a new feature causing confusion among drivers in Massachusetts. The item in question is “pedestrian hybrid beacons,” which are complex lights present at certain crosswalks. Unlike traditional signals that simply show a red light for stopping, these have five phases: off, flashing yellow, solid yellow, red, and flashing red. A Confusing Display of Lights This is more complex than necessary, but the meanings of the yellow and red signals should intuitively make sense as they are similar to typical traffic lights. A solid yellow light indicates drivers should slow down for pedestrians, while a flashing yellow light signals them to prepare to stop. A solid red light means stop, whereas a flashing red light instructs drivers to stop and then proceed when the crosswalk is clear. According to a study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about 25 percent of drivers ran solid red lights, a figure that soared to 65 percent when faced with flashing red lights. Misjudgments in the Mix Conversely, some drivers improperly stop when they shouldn’t; 9 percent halted when no lights were on, and 19 percent stopped for flashing yellow lights. This tendency increased to 30 percent for solid yellow lights. The positioning of pedestrian hybrid beacons seems to influence driver behavior. On four-lane roads, there was less premature stopping but a higher incidence of running red lights. In contrast, at rail trail crossings, more drivers mistakenly stopped, which study lead author Angelina Caggiano attributed to the expected presence of pedestrians. The authors raised questions about whether these beacons are the most suitable devices for rail trail crossings or areas with heavy pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Nevertheless, they suggested that familiarity with the lights will increase as more are introduced.

Haim and Bon Iver have collaborated on a new single titled 'Tie You Down'. Haim has recently made a comeback with their impressive new album 'I Quit', and they performed an unexpected set at Glastonbury.

Niia – V

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Niia – V