Nicci95 - The Weight on My Chest is Empty (2022)

This album was written and recorded on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. I want to acknowledge that the Wurundjeri people are the traditional custodians of this land, and I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

This is very much an “Australian” album, in that I've tried to write something critical of the way this colonial settlement operates. There is a hollowness that comes from my position, a guilt born from the awareness that this comfortable life comes at a cost: the lives of Indigenous people, the separation of Indigenous families, the erasure of Indigenous culture, language, and history. White people took this land, and we are destroying it.

The lyrics on Organ Rift were written around 2017, I think they are the oldest part of my album. That year was a particular tumultuous time in my life, partly because I began properly exploring my identity as a non-binary person. I started recognising my feelings of dysphoria, body envy, and my hyper awareness of how others would perceive me. When I started wearing femme clothing I realised that it was rarely made with my body type in mind, there was empty space where my breasts were meant to be. This empty space is where a lot of the feelings and a lot of the lyrics on this album came from.

I want to thank Morgan,Will and John at Burning Rose Records for believing in this record and helping me release it. Thanks to family and friends who listened to demos and gave me feedback over the years. Thanks to Lia and Isla for your contributions on the album and for being beautiful people and friends. Thanks to anyone who gives my music a listen! If you have any thoughts, feelings or questions you want to share just chuck me an email xx

Btw I've priced the album at $7, but if you are not in a position to pay that just email me and I'll send you the files, no questions asked.