Album Review: Shygirl Flaunts Her Nymphomania on ‘Nymph’

U.K.-based artist Shygirl has been pushing pop boundaries since her introduction to the genre. And this boundary pushing continues on her debut album Nymph.

Written by Adam Cherian

Shygirl wants the world to know that she’s a nymphomaniac, and on her debut album, Nymph, the dreamy atmosphere she creates is emblematic of the hypersexual fantasy creature. On this new record, Shygirl shamelessly thirsts for the sexual pleasure from men, while also yearning for deeper connections. All set to cloudy production, hyperpop cliches, and beats fit for the club.

Shygirl is a South London DJ and pop singer, best known for her song “Slime,” which blew up on TikTok in 2021. Since then, she’s been working with the likes of Sega Bodega, Arca, and many other influential alt-electropop producers. . These maximalist ascendancy can be heard all throughout Nymph, yet Shygirl makes it her own with her signature minimalist touch. No song on this album exemplifies this better than “Come For Me.” It’s the only track on this album produced by Venezuelan electronic musician Arca, who is best known for her dissonant production and use of sound to create deconstructed club tracks. Arca’s direction on the track is evident through the harsh percussive bass and whispered high-pitched background vocals, but with the addition of Shygirl’s signature hushed vocals. At one point, the song feels irregular, where the beat feels like it’s running away from the rhythm.

One of the biggest strengths of this album is the song's subjects and themes. The overtly sexual nature combined with Shygirl’s nonchalant attitude is a refreshing spin on how women’s sexuality is viewed through music. In the song “Shlut,” the singer takes this unapologetic attitude to a whole new level. She commands her partner to do what she wants sexually, all while basking in the derogatory label of “slut,” even going as far as to say, “Woke up feelin' like a slut / Yeah, I like that.” There’s power in her reclamation of a term used so frequently to hurt women, and this same sentiment can be heard throughout the rest of the album as the sexual liberation has only begun.

On the single for this album, “Nike,” Shygirl raps over a menacing beat that is reminiscent of a cheer routine. It almost feels like it is referencing “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, with repetitive lyrics throughout the song, and especially the chorus. “Hands on my breasts” is the most common lyric throughout the song, showing Shygirl’s powerfully shameless approach to sex. Coupled with the overbearing bass and bell-like synth in the chorus, this song is a love making rhythmic anthem only rivaled by Corey Hudson’s “Cbat.”

At certain points in the album, the context of sex is so overt that they feel comical. This is the case for the song “Coochie (a bedtime story),” which is the first dud to be heard on the record. Sonically, the song is extremely simple, which to be fair matches the nursery rhyme nature of it. The basic trap beat and pestering triangle that periodically appears adds nothing to the track. The production is repetitive and uncreative, while the lyrics are juvenile at best, with lines like “All night / Everyday / Anytime that coochie calls,” it gets old pretty fast. The incessant use of the word “coochie” makes this song so unserious that it ruins it.

The album is redeemed, however, when the listener reaches the song “Poison.” The accordion in the beginning is a great introduction into the fast-paced and dark club track, where Shygirl feels her seductress fantasy. This song perfectly encapsulates the sex-nymph energy that Shygirl exudes. It’s so sexual, dark, and mysterious, and it leaves you wanting more. The bassline is as infectious and dangerous as Shygirl’s power on men.

“Firefly” is the crown jewel of this album, with an infectious drum and bass style production matched with glitchy, PC music-ish beats. Shygirl uses distorted vocals to sing about a one-sided crush, a love that she feels like she’s the only one keeping it alive. “It could be so long / Watching you, waiting, anticipating / Just a touch would let me know,” she sings as she painfully recounts waiting for the approval of her lover.

For her debut album, Shygirl solidly delivers a great run of songs that perfectly encapsulates her image. Sex, love, and dancing your pain away is what Shygirl writes best, but she does a great job at shaping her character into this sex-obsessed nymph that demands control while also prioritizing the pleasure of others. This album is hedonism incarnate, and a great jumping off point for what's next to come from her.