N.Y.C.K.

Originating in Melbourne’s St. Kilda district, the Australian alternative-pop duo n.y.c.k. first drew notice for their lean, glowing, and wistful sound on the 2017 cuts “Speak My Mind” and “This Might Be My Year.” Nicholas Acquroff and Dominique Garrard formed the project in 2016, aiming to fuse electronic textures with arresting vocals, resonant keys, and crystalline production values. Their initial release, the late-2016 single “Decision,” was quickly followed in 2017 by the two aforementioned tracks. Listeners responded to the way the pair wedded morose, melancholy lyrics to buoyant, optimistic arrangements, a contrast that helped propel their debut EP, Alive, into the world by the close of that same year.