Nichols+Roark Deliver a Spine-Chilling, Cinematic Masterclass With “City Lights”
- STAFF
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
By: Staff
An electrifying, emotionally charged triumph that cements Nichols+Roark as visionaries in electronic music.
Nichols+Roark are not just producing tracks; they’re crafting experiences. The London-based duo continues to gain serious momentum in the indie electronic scene, and their latest release proves exactly why. With a sound that straddles deep house, synth pop, and cinematic electronic, they have managed to carve out a space where emotion meets precision. When we caught wind of their newest drop, we knew this was something we needed to see and hear for ourselves.
“City Lights” opens with a haunting visual: a solitary figure silhouetted against an expansive cityscape and industrial skyline. The initial twinkle of synths rolls out like a cold front. This is followed quickly by thunderous percussion that sets the emotional stakes high. The music video, released on VEVO, amplifies this sensation with breathtaking aerial shots, gliding across an illuminated metropolis. Each frame is crisp and evocative, like a high-budget thriller unfolding in real time. It’s not just the visuals that hit hard. The vocals arrive drenched in both vulnerability and force, rich with a dark, magnetic tension. As the beat thickens, you are pulled deeper into the emotional gravity of the song. There is a pulsing urgency beneath every note, and yet the lyrics glide in with eerie precision.
The lyric:
“A higher place, another world, a place where a dream is your reality”
-doesn’t just echo; it chills. Delivered with a cold, almost emotionless calm, it rattles you like a whispered secret from someone who knows too much. This duality continues throughout. Subway platforms give way to grim alleyways, while faceless crowds flicker in and out of shadows. The contrast feels intentional. We are witnessing beauty and danger share the same breath.
The synths begin to climb in intensity, stacking tension like a film score pushing toward its climax. Everything becomes hypnotic. You’re not just listening anymore. You’re reacting, flinching, feeling your pulse in your ears. When the refrain of the title rolls in, it is soaring, sweeping, and overwhelming in the best way.
“City Lights”
By the time “City Lights” hits its final note, you realize Nichols+Roark have been behind the wheel the entire ride. Every beat, every lyric, every frame was methodically engineered to provoke something real in you. They didn’t just perform a song. They pulled you through a sensory tunnel where your own emotions were used as narrative tools. It’s a brilliant sleight of hand. One listener might walk away feeling romantic nostalgia. Another might feel existential dread. That ambiguity is the genius of it. Nichols+Roark don’t hand you the meaning. They give you a mirror and ask what you saw. We felt this was truly amazing and we loved every minute of it.
This was a masterclass not just in sound design but in emotional architecture. “City Lights” isn’t a track you hear once and forget. It is something you replay, trying to solve the riddle of how it got under your skin. Between the production quality, the visual storytelling, and the sheer power of the vocal delivery, Nichols+Roark have given us something unforgettable.
We fully recommend diving into this latest release, “City Lights,” and letting it take you somewhere unexpected.
City Lights by Nichols+Roark is a hypnotic, pulse-raising showcase of bold production, soaring vocals, and pure storytelling brilliance.
Nichols+Roark may be relatively under the radar, but their sound is anything but quiet. This Brixton-based production duo brings over two decades of creative partnership to the table. They translate years of shared influences and friendship into music that hits both the heart and the pulse.
Their catalog bridges the gap between emotional nostalgia and cutting-edge house music, laced with melancholic undertones and moments of uplifting clarity. With a sonic identity shaped by the likes of Depeche Mode and New Order, they pull from a lineage of introspective synth pioneers while carving a thoroughly modern edge. Silence, space, and timing are all tools they wield masterfully. They let the music breathe just enough to feel personal and immersive.
Their performances are equally magnetic. They have graced stages with giants like Carl Cox and Sasha, and dropped tracks on iconic imprints such as The Soundgarden and Mango Alley. Known for immersive sets that blend hypnotic rhythm with deep narrative, Nichols+Roark have cultivated a loyal following that thrives on the emotional nuance of their sound.
This summer they are set to bring their signature energy to hotspots like Café del Mar and Pikes. They continue their rise through the underground circuit.
We’re so excited to have found and can’t wait to hear more from Nichols+Roark!
Make sure to stream, playlist, and share “City Lights” by Nichols+Roark today.
