Nikki Nack is the third album by American band Tune-Yards, released by 4AD in May 2014.[4][5]
On March 3, 2014, singer Merril Garbus posted a two-and-a-half-minute megamix of tracks from the album on her website, thanking fans for "your support and patience while we cooked this chicken."[6] A subsequent tour was announced, including a batch of international tour dates and a few festivals.[7] The album features work with record producers John Hill and Malay.[8]
On March 18, 2014, Garbus released the first album single, "Water Fountain".[9]
On April 25, 2014, NPR began streaming the album as part of its First Listen series.[10]
Background and recording
In early 2013, Garbus took a trip to Haiti to work on the follow-up to her 2011 release Whokill.[11]
On April 23, Garbus embarked on a tour supporting Arcade Fire in North America, before her own headline shows across Europe and North America, joined by a full touring band. Band members for the Nikki Nack tour were Merrill Garbus (drums, vocals, keys, ukulele), Nate Brenner (bass, synths, vocals), Haley Dekle (percussion, vocals), Jo Lampert (vocals), Dani Markham (percussion, vocals), and Abigail Nessen-Bengson (vocals).
Promotion
A music video directed by Joel Kefali was released on April 23, 2014, for "Water Fountain".[13] Garbus also appeared on the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! alongside comedians Jenny Slate and Jon Daly in June 2014 to promote the album.[14] On August 6, 2015, a video created by Sarah Pupo for the song "Rocking Chair" was released.[15]
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, Nikki Nack received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 34 reviews.[17] Cian Taylor of NME described the album as pairing "non-western musical traditions with melodies fit for a playground" while combining "layers of fizzing electronics and rapid-fire wordplay" and stated that at its best, it is "easily Tune-Yards' finest work."[23] Barry Walters of Spin stated that "Nikki Nack betters Whokill by beefing up its feral ferocity with more sophisticated chops" and, in particular, complimented the power of "Garbus's magnificent yelp."[27] At Alternative Press, Jeff Rosenstock remarked on how "Nikki Nack pinballs between tidy arrangements and full-blown maximalism to find catchy melodies and dance beats in the strangest places."[28]Rolling Stone's Will Hermes stated that the album suggests that Garbus is "an innovator in it for the long haul."[26]
