On SN X SG – SG X SN, Shelf Nunny disproves the old adage, “never meet your idols.” As a longtime fan of Sun Glitters, Shelf Nunny was overjoyed at the invite to remix the latter’s Glasshouse (with Nadine Carina) and Lonely Trip (feat. Sara), and to have the favor returned on I Think I’m Finally Happy from the 2025 EP of the same name. This year, the two happy artists collaborate on original music for the first time, and the result is more than the sum of its parts.
Opening track and first single “Magnet to the Lights” begins with the sound of birdsong, followed soon by ebullient expressions of percussive and synthesized sound. Over the years, we’ve known both artists as upbeat, Shelf Nunny in particular representing the type of hard-won positivity that remains grateful for every good day, aware that it could have been otherwise. The track’s gentle radio transmissions mingle with the birds, an interspecies celebration.
“Fireflies Around Midnight” is even more cheerful, and begs for a video of the aforementioned scene. Light vocal snippets dance around the sonic field like flashes of light, on and off, calling to each other and receiving light in kind, just like the artists. And of course there’s no down side to adding whistles, because it’s very hard to whistle sadly, even if one wants to do so. A brief rain shower at the very end does nothing to dispel the positive spirit. “Seek Quiet” is a highlight of a different kind, quietude blossoming over three minutes while never approaching loud. The pace quickens on “See You Everywhere I Look,” which sounds at first like a love song but might also be heard as a friendship song: a lightening of the load when one feels heard, valued and embraced. The tape wobbles repeatedly and is righted, like one friend bolstering the other. Returning to the opener, the artists approach from a different angle, as if considering the sides of a diamond; the circle is complete, enabling one to play the EP on continuous loop.
SN X SG – SG X SN is the sound of the alchemy produced when like-minded artists find each other. Their collaboration is like a super-hero team-up, an expression of sonic joy. (Richard Allen)
