Take the acoustic balladry of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley and wrap it in a rock ‘n’ roll exterior and you’ll find something close to “gothic folk”: this is what award-winning singer-songwriter Nic Nassuet is all about. The Hollywood artist’s latest record Eleutherios has netted him a plethora of raving reviews, and Nassuet has put his best foot forward with the album’s lead single ‘She Rides Moonlight’. 

‘She Rides Moonlight’ sees Nassuet depart from the gravelly, hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll vocals found on the majority of the album. Instead, he spills out melodies with the same smooth tone you’d hear from Jim Morrison. In fact, the whole song is very reminiscent of Jim Morrison’s era, from the ethereal mandolins to the track’s stretched out six and a half minute-length – swaying with languid paces and never in a rush. A delicate troop of strings work together to give this song its graceful, swelling atmosphere, which is at times enriched by sonorous violas, and at other times brightened by dainty violins; it’s a playful balance that’s also romantic in its idle simplicity. “Rest your weary crown on her alabaster breast / Deep within her now, die the little death” – Nassuet’s lyrics paint a love story that fits in idyllic harmony with the acoustic backdrop, and serve as another element in the song’s subtle but mystical aura.

‘She Rides Moonlight’ is an interesting choice for a lead single – it’s not often these days that singles are six and a half minutes long. But it’s a song that is entrancing in its repetitiveness; Nassuet averts the risk of being boring and instead achieves a peacefully lulling effect.

She Rides Moonlight is available from Amazon and iTunes.