Album Review: Nymph by Shygirl

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Shygirl is an artist I discovered not too long ago. The moment I heard the intro to BB this spring, I knew her sound, creativity, and discrepancy was something I wanted more of. Nymph is Shygirl’s first official body of work, her debut studio album. After a few single drops over the summer, I was pining for September 30, the official release date of this project to drop, and the wait was very worth it.

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  • To start her debut album off with a song like Woe is so necessary. This opener talks about the experience she’s had with jealousy from those she doesn’t know and those she used to know. The song starts off very angelic but takes a turn sonically into a drill-esque beat, electrical autotune, and Shygirl rapping over the beat, a style of sound that Shygirl fans are familiar with.

  • Come for Me is the second single from the album, and it left me a bit confused as it was so different from the first single. I was left not knowing what to expect from the rest of the album, but I think it flows very well with the rest of the picture after listening to the whole thing. The song was produced by Arca, and her Shygirl and are a perfect pairing. The cyberpunk, otherworldly sounds from the best are my favorite part of this song.

  • This is my favorite song from the album and up there with my favorite Shygirl songs to date. As an avid horror fan, I NEED to see the day this song is synced in a slasher or psychological thriller because its dark tone and ambiguous lyrics that feel like love and danger all at once make it such an ominous guilty pleasure to listen to. Shygirl’s effortless bars juxtaposed with the spooky hook and abstract post-hook interludes keep my hairs standing the entire duration of this song every time I listen.

  • This was not one of my favorites on the album. I love how distinct Shygirl’s sound is, and this song made me feel she was trying to fit into the box of underground rap. It needed more of a Shygirl spin.

  • Firefly is the perfect characterization of this album. This was the first single (very different from “Come for Me” right?), and its fairytale-like instrumental paired with Shygirl’s soft singing voice make you feel like you’re listening to a song Tinker Bell would make. I also enjoy the lyrics. They discuss waiting on a love that may never come true. Item description

  • Another perfect song from the album. Coochie was yet another single dropped shortly before the album’s release, and, like the title says, it has a bedtime story feel to it. It sounds like the melody of a nursery rhyme while discussing the beauty of girl- and womanhood.

  • I can’t decide if this or “Shlut” is my favorite song from the album. This song reminded me a lot of “Babygirl” by Charli XCX. It’s almost like you can see Cupid shooting love arrows from the sky when either of these love songs play. “Heaven” also has a bedtime story/nursery rhyme sound. It’s very calming, and so are the endearing lyrics.

  • This song is Little Bit’s better tether. A friend of mine went to III Points this past month, and Shygirl performed this song with everyone in the crowd rapping along; you could feel the confidence exuding across the room because that’s what this song brings out. The lyrics are cocky, and the sonics have a sultry, underground hip hop vibe.

  • A variety of elements were thrown into this song, and they all landed in the perfect spot. “Poison” with a European feel. Soon after, the bass gets turned all the way up with Shygirl boasting about the effects her love has on a certain someone. The chorus builds up, as if the song is about to take an EDM turn, and when the beat drop hits, that familiar accordion instrumental we heard in the opening of the song plays again. I can hear this being the soundtrack for a red-light district in The Netherlands.

  • This song starts off very angelically. Like the nymph herself is entering our space. Shygirl yearns for an easy love on this track, one that is sweet like honey. You can hear an exhaustion in her voice and how she sings these lyrics so softly. The song feels like a circle in how its soft instrumental fades in and fades out the exact same way.

  • I didn’t know if this song was supposed to be a standalone or an interlude. I wish it was longer if it was meant to be a normal track like the rest. It discusses Shygirl missing her ex but still being ready to move on to the next thing, and I wanted more from her in that subject. Sonically, it feels creepy like “Shlut” in an indulging way.

  • An album can close in two grand ways: by having a song similar in some way to the opener, a circular ending, or taking listeners to a completely different place from where we began; “Wildfire” does the latter. The verses are very fast-paced, and the beat is personified. I feel like the instrumental is running and takes a halt whenever Shygirl says “I hear you say my name.” The instrumentals stop as if time stops whenever this lover of Shygirl’s says her name. A very nice close to this project.

An important thing to note is that Shygirl is also a DJ; she has producer credits on every single one of these songs. That’s another reason why I and so many others love her. You can feel the authenticity, hunger, and emotion in every chord, bassline, and melody because they are all her own. Shygirl is mysterious and majestic, like she’s from another time, another world, and we are experiencing her music through a vacuum. I cannot wait to see how our fairy continues to fly.

Demetrius Williams