Nightwave – Sanctuary EP

“Clubs are a sanctuary for many of us and this is my ideal, dreamy version of it”, says Glasgow’s Nightwave of her track Sanctuary, the second single taken from her new EP of the same name. Kicking off with a pattern of flighty percussion, accented by faint birdsong, Sanctuary is as bright as the tropical paradise it conjures up. Splicing in hypnotic vocals with bubbling synthesisers, the up tempo, beat-driven track seems primed for the dancefloors that inspired it.

Equally assured and commanding is the opening track Limelight, an energetic reimagining of 90s house. Complete with soaring vocals supplied by Nightwave herself, the rave-indebted track will be right at home in sets geared towards floor-filling euphoria.

Showing her growing confidence as a producer, the EP’s third track Tarmac then strikes out at the listener with a surprisingly industrial edge, clattering and humming like a swarm of bees. It’s the most minimal track on the record, which goes some way to demonstrate Nightwave’s foot-to-the-floor approach to these productions. This fearlessness is underscored by closing track Fantazia, a barrage of urgent jungle beats and breakdowns that twists in warped vocals, sirens, and more of those 90s-era ravey synth stabs.

Overall, Sanctuary reflects Nightwave’s boldness as a performer and producer; the product of an artist who continues to make courageous creative strides.