Nick Ryan returns with ArchNemesis, a remix LP that doesn’t just hit, it detonates. Reimagined by producer Robert Eibach, it functions as both a creative rework and a personal statement. Truth bleeds through the basslines. And somehow, even at its heaviest, it still demands your body move.
Inspired in part by Rihanna’s Rated R Remixed, the opener Welcome To The Nightmare establishes the tone immediately. Large synths, punchy drums, and a front-and-center vocal create a strong introduction that signals both intensity and clarity of vision.
Mid-album highlights Narcissist and Don’t Hold Your Breath shimmer with alt-pop gloss and a Y2K feel. The latter delivers one of the album’s most striking moments:
“Wasted days and wasted nights
It’s easy to get jaded
I’ve been fighting for my rights
But feel taken for granted”
The emotional centerpiece, though, is Politics and Mind Games, a track that burns slow. Here, Ryan leans into vulnerability and frustration, singing:
“Singing somebody’s lies
While your soul inside dies
Feeling forever alone
Cause you’re words won’t be your own
I don’t care
Because these politics & mind games are killing me”
Elsewhere, titles like “I Will Not Be Silent” and “Good People Are Hard To Find” read like manifestos, creating a cathartic feel.
“Hey! I don’t like you.
You ghosted me
So I ghosted you too
Hey! What’s your issue?
You’ve got crocodile tears
Here’s a tissue”
Production-wise, the project thrives in contrasts: It’s gritty and chaotic, yet meticulously sculpted. The result is a world that’s deliberately messy but perfectly arranged. ArchNemesis a confident release that positions Ryan as an artist intent on pushing forward in the alt-pop landscape, not just participating in it.
