Have you ever wanted to bury your past? You’re not alone. Local indie rock artist Loch Nisse Monster describes a breakup as, “like a crime scene. 13 tracks, one murder. Forensis.”
But good news: Loch Nisse Monster, also known as Carleton University student Nisse Anonby,* did not rack up any murder charges in the creation of her debut album, Forensis.
The 20-year-old local artist released her debut album this summer. Love and pain go hand in hand in the album, characterized as a murder investigation as a metaphor for a breakup.
The album explores concepts like falling in love, heartbreak, womanhood and existentialism from the perspective of a young woman entering adulthood.
The album feels haunted with a lost love and the trials of human emotion. With lyricism and style, Anonby takes the listener down a musical rabbit hole into a new world.
The album starts with “Your Catalyst,” then changes pace with “Saint Valentine’s Day.” This song is where love and heartbreak intersect, with a hauntingly eerie tone fitting for an episode of American Horror Story.
It’s ironic, soapy and perfectly written.
Anonby’s tone reflects the bitterness and melodrama of the song, with lines like, “Don’t make me break your heart on Saint Valentine’s Day” and “Paint your nails and you’ll lie nailed to a coffin bed. Hoping you’ll see this murderer before you’re dead.”
It’s reminiscent of a gothic and dramatic Shakespearean sonnet, where Ophelia from Hamlet is rewritten and vengeful.
Enter “Stare So Hard,” a softer indie track that lets Anonby’s vocals shine through. Her angelic voice, paired with the poetic lyricism of the secrecy and fleetingness of a meaningful love creates the perfect balance.
Another rock song, “Rock Royalty Heart Attack,” has excellent soft rock instrumentals and details a crush riddled with limerence and nostalgia under the beating summer sun.
Comparatively, “Fog in the Window” captures growing up, nostalgia and identity. Anonby sings: “Will you be there when I change? But are you there when I’m the same?”
Transitioning to the second half of the album, “Photograph a Murder” is a more solemn and painful critique of how society consumes women. Specifically, it explores how expectations force young women to conform, please and eventually be objectified and discarded — particularly in the public eye. Rife with criticism and unafraid to call out injustice, the tone of the song is mournful.
The lyric, “Leave some there on the carcass, in case they’re wanting more,” captures the painful way fame demands everything, even after there’s nothing left.
“Anything but Evidence” hides trauma, “Not to Know You” mourns lost connection, and “Birmingham” fights for respite and escape. This stretch of the album reflects various manifestations of pain. With a simplistic, folksy guitar style, Anonby allows the listener to focus on the lyrics and emotional journey she brings to life through song.
“Avoiding (Seeing You),” featuring local artist Princess Unlucky, deals with estranged relationships. Feeling the need to pretend and fake civility are the frustrations Anonby articulates in this track. It aligns with themes of relationships and emerging adulthood.
“Yer No Fun,” featuring Ethan Ryan, reflects the imbalance of a relationship, boredom and disappointment. Anonby’s voice with Ryan’s echoing in the background, paired with the guitar solo and drums, bring the song to life.
“Lifting the Veil” and “Blueprint” serve as strong closers, articulating newfound clarity and reckoning with a relationship’s end. They encourage the listener to reflect on closure and their own journey compared to the characters in Anonby’s world.
Forensis’ overall vivid and existential lyricism builds a world where complex themes leave the listener to reflect on the intersections of love, heartbreak and growing up.
*Nisse Anonby has previously contributed to the Charlatan.
Featured image provided by Nisse Anonby.
