“JK: What Nicholas makes sound so effortless is to translate ideas that could easily lapse into therapy-speak or toxic positivity into narratives of specific, detail-driven narratives that recognize how the path toward personal growth is never a linear one. Their songs are fraught in a way that is uncanny. To have such a studied approach to others’ interior lives without losing a fundamental sense of empathy– to be able to write like this without becoming overly clinical– is a rare gift, indeed. Pair that with the loveliest melody they’ve yet committed to record, and “Baggage” is Nicholas’ finest single to date. A
KJC “Baggage” is evidence that Nicholas is only in competition with themselves, as the only comparable records in recent memory are “Slow Down” and “Made Yet.” It takes a special talent to write personal material that is also emotionally universal. These aren’t my life stories, but there are life lessons that I can learn from them. A”Country Universe