Michael Nereus’s debut project, Antinomy, is a

dreamy landscape, one he navigates with ease and

confidence. The debut project is representative of the

world Michael can make & draw you into.

The project opens with the dreamy “Didn’t Mean

To” – and I mean dreamy in every sense of the word.

The instrumental is warm and provides a lovely bed

for you to be cushioned by Michael’s voice. It’s a song

about the stumbles and complications of the back and

forth within a relationship.

The second song “Primo” continues this dreamscape,

expanding and adding to it. However, guitar loops and

subtle drums differentiate it from the preceding track.

Lyrically, Michael professes his love for his partner, as

well as the qualities he possesses as a worthy lover for

his partner’s affection.

“Same Way As Him” sees a shift in direction for the

project. It’s dreamy yet dark, almost haunted. Here,

Michael explores the dream of love, when love sud-

denly goes wrong. His partner has left him; all he’s left

with are questions & a broken heart that yearns for comfort and answers – both of which he’s unlikely to get. These emotions

are deeply felt on the song and weigh heavy: “Girl, just teach me how to breathe when you leave/ It’s a shame how I feel when you’re gone”

We see how Michael attempts to recover from this event on “Summer 21”, where he isn’t doing great. The song explores the

paralysis felt after a breakup, as well as one of the stages of grief and break ups: bargaining. You can hear by his actions, by the

grain of his voice, that he’s still desperate for his partner; yet he pleads over and over, while explaining the toxicity that’s had

him in this position. While sad lyrically, “Summer 21” is the most danceable song yet instrumentally.

Michael continues to bargain and plead for his lover’s love on “Wonder Woman”. He tugs at emotional threads like conversa-

tions with her mother, as well as the times she held him close. If the previous song was brash, this is the gentle counterpart

that pleads for just one night to change her mind. The tempo has also slowed to compliment the smooth talk.

“Don’t Hold My Hand” sees another change in the narrative. Michael seems to have accepted the end of their relationship.

Over a wedding-esque, two-step tempo, he emotes that he’s truly done with the relationship. He realises that he no longer re-

quires her and, surprisingly, disdains his ex-lover at this point: “I’m not your man, don’t hold my hand, and I don’t wish you

well”.

The final song, “All on Me”, sees the dream motif become distorted instrumentally. He similarly explains the disillusionment

of his emotions from the surprising actions of his partner, which lean towards unsupportive and selfish. However, it seems he

has fallen into the same pitfalls and embraced the pattern of getting back with his ex, who was previously adamant on leaving.

We’ve all been there, so this brings a much-appreciated realness to end off the EP.

My one drawback from Antinomy is that it’s

sometimes difficult to make out what’s being

said, and that takes away from the experience

sometimes; good enunciation would elevate it

just a little further. All in all though, Michael

Nereus accomplished a lot for a debut project.

With vivid imagery, a cohesive world within &

between the songs, and a voice that makes you

want to sing along, Antimony is truly a worth-

while project for your ears.

Published on Pinnacle Pop, 2022.