Nashville alternative singer-songwriter Nicole Alexis leans into live instrumentation, vulnerable lyrics and imperfect performances on her new EP, Sympathy Rehab.
Nicole Alexis has released her new EP Sympathy Rehab through Hard Working Records, marking a more instinctive chapter for the Nashville singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer.
Across four songs, Alexis, who also releases music as N/A, moves away from worrying about how a record is “supposed” to sound and toward the elements that naturally appeal to her. Live drums, guitars and intentionally imperfect performances form the foundation of an EP built around direct, conversational songwriting.
That approach comes through clearly on recent single “Broken,” a reflection on trying to keep functioning while everything seems to be coming apart. Rather than turning that experience into something overly dramatic, Alexis focuses on the uncomfortable middle ground, recognizing that things are falling apart while still attempting to push forward and understand what is happening.
An acoustic version of “Broken” strips the song back even further, fitting naturally alongside the intimate performances that have helped Alexis build a sizable audience online. Her stripped-down and looped covers have included songs by My Chemical Romance, Paramore-adjacent peers like Dashboard Confessional, blink-182, The Smashing Pumpkins and Kelly Clarkson.
Sympathy Rehab follows Alexis’ debut EP Mirrors & Smoke, which included “Don’t Tell Me To Breathe,” a track later featured by Fender in the launch campaign for its Quantum LT. After that release, she signed with Hard Working Records and made her label debut with “Goodbye.”
While Alexis’ music draws from alternative rock and the confessional side of early-2000s emo and pop-rock, Sympathy Rehab places her own songwriting voice at the center. The four songs may move through different emotions, but their shared thread is simplicity: performances that feel human, lyrics that sound natural and a willingness to leave a few rough edges intact.
Check out an acoustic performance of “Broken” below.
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