Norii’s single ‘Exocoetidae’ is a dreamy, starry-eyed adventure through time and space that fully captures the wonder of a curious artist. The San Diego-based singer and songwriter thoughtfully leans into her mythical interests and has crafted an intricate and impassioned melody, complete with electrifying production and stellar vocal work. At first listen, Norii’s soft, stirring vocal stylings would immediately draw comparisons to Ariana Grande, but upon further exploration, you’d realize that Norii has carved out her own spectacular niche with her fairytale-woven themes, a far cry from the hits populating the top 40 in contemporary music. 

According to the 21-year-old artist, Exocoetidae refers to a fabled creature that traverses both the ocean and the sky, its movement vast and limitless, but its sense of belonging almost non-existent. Norii has related the Exocoetidae experience to that of her own as a result of being disowned by her parents. Yet, the tune itself doesn’t incorporate the personal emotions in a heavy-handed way; it does right by the mystery and magic of the allegorical animal. The most stunning aspect of the piece is its meticulous and dramatic instrumentation, from the melancholic synth tracks to the sharp chords on the base to the chimes of the triangle. There’s an element of nostalgia and wistfulness that floats through the dragged-down tempo, and the track remains fairly contemporary and modern. 

Every time the instrumentation threatens to drown out Norii, she claws back in with a soaring high note at the chorus that imbues the full range of her expressiveness. The bridge is centered around an eerie instrumental melody supported by a roaring upbeat on the drums before it rhythmically meets with the chorus in astounding combustion. 

Speaking on her second single, Norii said, “ A lot of the time, I’ll write the melody/chords and lyrics for a song totally separately. That was the case for Exocoetidae as well. It is actually one of the first songs I’ve ever written, except it originally had some different lyrics, and a totally different melody. I dug it up months later and the right words came really easily. The most fun part about coming up with a song for me is finding interesting chord progressions that take you off guard for a second..”

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Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.