Nala Sinephro’s Ambient Jazz Is Essential Listening

Nala Sinephro is a multi-instrumentalist jazz musician and composer based out of London.*Their music can be described as a blend of ambient and spiritual jazz, electronic, experimental, and minimalism. Outside of their three albums, Nala is also composing the score for the movie The Smashing Machine from Benny Safdie.

When I first heard Nala Sinephro’s Space 1.8, I was instantly aware I had discovered “that album”. You know, the one you’d revisit over and over, finding little pockets of sounds and new favorite moments that sneak up on you after months of listening. From its initial harps and synths entering your conscious hearing: subtle, out of focus, yet coalescing into the gestalt of a beautiful landscape of sound, I was awestruck. That feeling of being able to experience a new album full of unexpected creative expression feels grandiose, perhaps more comparable to a snowboarder facing a mountain, excited and equipped for the many twists and turns that awaits their trek forward. 

An old coworker sent me this album (shoutout Rosie), and I remember my partner and I absolutely going bananas over what we were hearing. For anyone unsure of what to expect from listening, I would recommend experiencing Nala Sinephro’s work in both active and passive listening environments. I think the music is a great backdrop for a particularly long work day, or it can be the music to decompress after the work is done. I think Space 1.8 and her 2024 album, Endlessness, can fill the space for people who enjoy lofi beats, study music, ambient soundscapes, and more. “Space 8” is 18 minutes of pure ambient jazz bliss, and a track I’ve been finding on repeat the last few weeks. 

I could gush about how great this music is, and while I’m keen to describe it, I feel I can’t. On one hand, I want anyone who hasn’t heard yet to have a fresh listen. On the other, the music is constantly shifting from one thing to the next, never bogged down or tied to any of its movements. It is an explorative mix of inspirations, styles, and experimentally unique in sound. I find words are not enough sometimes, but nevertheless, I want to share the music I find as meaningful as this. Please enjoy Nala Sinephro’s albums below if you haven’t already:

Written by Evan Lurie