Photo of Nite Jewel courtesy of Jose Wolff
It's been eight years since Ramona Gonzalez (Nite Jewel) dropped her debut demo. Since then, Gonzalez continues to experiment with her eclectic sound, incorporating a variety of different aesthetics, from weird synth pop one-offs to lo-fi dance anthems. Yesterday, Gonzalez dropped Liquid Cool, the follow-up to her sophomore album, One Second of Love. The album – which explores themes of aloneness in the world and is filled with catchy minimalist, synth pop – marks something of a return for the producer and singer-songwriter. Gonzalez left her label and Liquid Cool was released on her Gloriette label. In a press release for the record, Gonzalez said, "I felt like I had found my identity again."We asked Gonzalez about the last music she purchased. Her selections—which include the blistering pop and r&b of Rihanna's latest album, Anti, and a new wave throwback—reveal the eclectic influences which have shaped her music.
To be honest, I always attempt to play Dazzle Ships (OMD's fourth record released in 1983), but it's usually far too deep for most crowds. I picked this up at Wombleton Records here in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago. [There are] so many great cuts that can hang with just about any synthy pop in my collection. "Souvenir" has become a staple for my DJ sets.On a personal note … Anti has become the go-to for just about every occasion: gal-pal hangs, romantic evenings, [and] also solo sing-a-longs in the car ("Kiss It Better"). I for real bought it cuz I want to be able to play it even if disconnected from wifi on a road trip in the desert somewhere.So I was originally playing like three songs from this record off Spotify during my DJ sets. And each time I had to use my phone, I felt an emptiness inside like, "I want to hold this record in my hands," so I shelled out. Such a cool record. So ambiguous and understated. Beautiful.Britt Julious is on Twitter.
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