The Nomadic

The Nomadic is the musical alter ego of New York based Australian Robert Gaylard. With his his project named after his nomadic lifestyle, which began with his childhood travels to Myanmar and Singapore, through to his recent travels due to his work for the United Nations. However, while his working life has been on the road, his solid base since 2012 has been New York. Having relocated to chase his musical dream, he took time out from work in 2019 to solely focus on this goal. The end result is the album, My Mind Is Racing.

Sold by his press release as a fusion of Oasis, Coldplay and The 1975, there are touches of truth in those comparisons, but there is more akin to mid-90s indie outfit Cast than any of the aforementioned. This is heart on the sleeve, lyrically driven lo-fi indie pop which hopes to make you think.

Tackling tough subjects like depression, anxiety, sadness and loneliness, the album has a surprisingly hopeful finish. Gaylard may not have had to smoothest of life experiences, but he appears still optimistic and forward-thinking. Undeterred by what has happened to him, or those around him, he has learnt from his past and used it to build to his future.

Notable highlights include the almost Embrace-esque Waiting and the Semisonic-bop My Mind Is Racing, however, as the easy comparisons hint, this is not the most original album in terms of soundscape. But, if you like your pop delivered with a 90s indie feel, this is a very enjoyable listen.