Nava Drops’ ‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’ is an Indie-Pop album About Moving On and Onward

Nava Drops’ ‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’ is an ambient 7-track indie-pop album that captures a sense of moving (on or forward) in a calm, kinetic way. This tone doesn’t shift much until the last track where a new energy is injected into the album. The mood of the album feels dictated by the timbre of the guitar in each song. This is the element that seems to stand out the most on first listen.

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Setting the Tone and a Sense of Movement

The album starts out on a bit of a dissonant note with ‘Saltburn Honeybees’. This is where a soothing cascading guitar melody clashes with what sounds like a different melodic vocals. This effect sets the tone for the album, introducing what seems to be its thematic ideas in the song’s instrumentation. This dissonance begins to resolve with a minimal guitar outro that leads into the next track ‘Are You Listening?’

This track stands out from the rest with its alt/grunge sound. All while maintaining the calmness of the guitar-led outro that it seamlessly transitioned out of. There’s a sense of depth and darkness to the song’s mood. This is led by guitars that stand out in an almost minimalist way. It’s lyrics simultaneously ask for conformation while also being a declaration of the singer’s identity. This sentiment seems present in the lines:

“…if I can tell my younger self that there is a world where you can live and breathe the music you create…baby that’s nirvana for me…”

‘Train to TriBeCa’ and ‘Highs N Lows’ are where the listener finds a sense of movement in the album’s soundscape. The former establishes this movement by seemingly conjuring up imagery of scenery rushing past a train window in its instrumental. The song’s lyrics keep up this mood by describing transient experiences that weren’t resolved. There’s a sense of optimism to those lines too. This is found in the lines: “…Rome wasn’t built in a day…I can’t wait to see what we leave behind…”.

‘Highs N Lows’ keeps up this mood, allowing the brightness of ‘Train to TriBeCa’ to find a home in its sound. Along with its acoustic guitars, the song’s funky percussion also comes through. This seems to add a vibrancy to the track thats unique.

Calm Melancholy and Kinetic Resolution

The next track ‘Roses By The Fire – Acoustic’ injects a bit of melancholy into the album’s overall soundscape. It captures the bittersweet mood of what feels like an ending to something. It sounds like its being played by a crackling fire on a campsite. A rhythmic acoustic guitar and layered vocals invoking that sing-a-long nature. Heartache and nostalgia is evident in the song’s lyrics: “…This wine and whiskey’s feeling wholesome again…”.

‘RealCrowdPleaser’ samples ‘Black Beetles’ by Rae Sremmurd in its refrain to inject a new perspective into the song’s iconic lines. (“That girl is a real crowd pleaser…Small world, all her friends know me…Young bull livin’ like an old geezer…Release the cash, watch it fall slowly…”. )This new perspective is melancholic, with fuller guitars adding a depth the song’s sound. It brings two seemingly disparate genres together in a homogenous way. This while building on a theme thats been forming since the first song.

The final track on the album “So Much Better Than FaceTime” is a lively track that captures the kinetic spirit of nightlife. It captures the feeling of needing to move away from something, missing an experience of something, that one could go back to but won’t. This sentiment is in the lines: “Make my way out…searching for some peace and quiet…but these streets need me…”

‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’ by Nava Drops is an album that moves through its motions like a transient observer. This body of work allows its soundscape to take its listeners on journey that isn’t intrusive, making for an ambient, relaxing listen.

The Artist

I had the chance to talk to Nava Drops about the album. Our correspondence touched on his influences, inspirations, his journey and how his full time job as a physician has informed his work as an artist.

‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’: The Process and Influences

1. Congratulations on the release of the ‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’! How does it feel now that the project’s out?

It feels great! I’ve been working on this album for about two years, taking my time to experiment and develop my approach to indie music. I’m really enjoying hearing people’s reactions to this, especially some songs like “Are You LIstening?” which were so out of left field. It’s fun to try something different and see it through.

2. What was the process of making the album like? What was the inspiration behind its sound?

I moved from Philly to Boston a couple years ago, and the change of scenery and shift away from a hip-hop culture probably pushed me to expand my musical palette. The New England area is super pristine and scenic, making way for a lot of indie bands and folk artists especially. I wrote “Highs N Lows” soon after I got there, and it kind of kickstarted a deep dive into this album. I listen to so many indie bands and folk artists, I was definitely inspired to try my hand at the genre. Once I moved back to Philly this past year, I had my ideas down and went to work polishing everything.

‘Saltburn Honeybees’ and ‘Are You Listening?’

About ‘Saltburn Honeybees’

3. The opening track on the album, ‘Saltburn Honeybees’ sounded like it was communicating two dissonant, almost opposing moods in an interesting, engaging way. Could you tell us more about the song and why it felt like the right way to start the project?

Yeah I feel that the instrumentation is very nostalgic and mellow but I come in loud & energetic with my vocals. I intended the song to be more of a pure indie pop song, that’s why I chose to sing that way and keep the energy of the song high. I wanted the first track to really sum up the album nicely and give listeners a solid expectation. But really, by the time I came up with the tracklist, it was my favorite song at the time so I put it first.

I want to mention the lyrics in this song are kind of persistent in a lot of my music. It’s really a song about the glamour of city culture, and how you can get sucked into the lavishness that drives culture and relationships in places like New York or LA. I grew up in the suburbs of Aurora, Colorado which is much quieter, so I find myself commenting on my own experience living in and embracing a city lifestyle quite often.

About ‘Are You Listening?’

4. The song ‘Are You Listening?’ stands out with its alt/grunge soundscape. Could you tell us a bit about the song and the inspiration behind it?

Man, the first music I was ever put on to was hard rock and heavy metal. My favorite band is System of a Down, and I listened to a lot of Nirvana, Korn, Coheed and Cambria when I was younger. My guitar playing is still very influenced by heavy-riff culture, so “Are You Listening?” is really an homage to my initial musical influences. For this song I was definitely inspired by the Pixies and Weezer, especially with the guitar riffs. Guitar solos especially are kind of falling out of the mainstream, but I still think it’s one of the most exciting concepts in music.

Nava Drops: His Journey and Evolution

5. Could you tell us a bit about how your music journey began?

My music journey has been pretty spontaneous and stress-free, for the most part, which I’m thankful for. I don’t have any formal training. I started off freestyle rapping in high school, and thought I had a knack for it. I joined some friends and started a band, and we did shows around Denver before graduating high school. In college I didn’t spend too much time on music, but released my first solo project under Nava Drops Barz.

My passion for this seriously took off when I started medical school, surprisingly. I recorded and released my first studio album ‘chasing magnolias’ at the height of the pandemic, and that was my first time really getting a response as an artist. The door blasted open and I’ve been seriously making music ever since!

Evolution and Inspiration

6. How do you think your sound has evolved since you first started?

Well the biggest change in the past year has been the genre switch and the name change. I changed my name from Nava Drops Barz to Nava Drops, I think it was fitting because I’m comfortable making music in different genres now. I’m pretty comfortable as a rapper, and always will be, but it’s been so invigorating creating music with other musicians. With indie and rock music, so much of the emotion has to come from the instrumentation, so WONDERLUST PROJECT is my first time opening up and collaborating with bands and studios to bring my vision to life. My music has always been very personal, so my biggest point of growth with this album has probably been just letting go a little and letting others share in my process.

7. Could you talk to us about the music that has inspired and moved you as an artist?

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Cliche statement incoming, I try to be really open-minded with music and listen to everything. I DJed a lot in college so I had to be in the know about music across genres that move people. My most formative influences have been lyrical rappers like Kendrick Lamar, and emotional musicians like Mac Miller. Raw sound and authenticity trumps everything in my opinion, so even in my pop songs I will have very real lyrics about my own life. I’ve really been inspired by the new wave of indie pop artists today like Still Woozy, Goth Babe, Dayglow to name a few. That’s in addition to my formative influences I mentioned earlier.

The Pull between being a Musician and a Physician

8. Do you feel a push and pull between being a musician and a physician? Do these two sides of your life inform each other in some way?

Oh, definitely. The two jobs can both be so powerful in their own ways. My journey doing both things consistently is a battle on how I can divvy my time. My worlds collide often, like once I had to pitch myself for a show at a venue the night before I had a big clinical exam. Things in music move fast so I just learned to compartmentalize and act quickly.

I love both, and my role as a doctor definitely colors my approach to music. I’m more mindful of what I say in my songs. I’m also motivated to have my art stand alone, outside of my work as a doctor. I want people to listen to Nava Drops and have no idea I’m a doctor. I also want young doctors to know you can pursue art seriously and still be an outstanding physician.

Advice

9. Is there anything else that you would like to share? Especially for artists like yourself?

Take inspiration from the people you meet and places you go, and push your music beyond your comfort zone! Making this album has made me so much more comfortable with techniques I never used before in my music, and sets me up better for the future!

Thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions!

Listen to ‘WONDERLUST PROJECT’ here: