Nxdia - I Promise No One's Watching

Nxdia's debut mixtape, 'I Promise No One's Watching' is both a middle finger to expectations and a warm embrace of vulnerability. Across ten razor-sharp tracks, most clocking in under three minutes, they craft what could be dubbed "chaos pop" – a thrilling blend of nu-rave energy and confessional songwriting. The Cairo-born, Manchester-raised artist doesn't so much wear their heart on their sleeve as graffiti it across every available surface.

'Feel Anything' sets the tone, building from deceptively gentle beginnings into a euphoric dance track complete with the delightfully unhinged invitation to "throw up in the kitchen sink." It's this kind of unapologetic messiness that makes the mixtape so good.

'Jennifer's Body' and 'Boy Clothes' hit like a double shot of adrenaline, their sinister undertones and bratty delivery making them instant anthems for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider at their own party. 'She Likes A Boy' might be the standout moment, its 90s alternative influence shining through a chorus that manages to capture queer longing with the kind of straightforward brilliance that makes you wonder why no one wrote it before.

Across the mixtape, gender dysphoria, mental health and cultural identity are all addressed with the same unflinching honesty as young love and wild nights out. It's brutal, funny and heartbreaking all at once. 'I Promise No One's Watching' is what happens when you permit yourself to be exactly who you are, then turn it up to eleven. No one might be watching, but everybody should be listening.