Nurture — illustration — 2021

An Ode to Nurture

About

I made a series of fan-artworks dedicated to each song from one of my favourite albums of all time—Porter Robinson’s 2021 release, Nurture.

Pulling a little away from his EDM roots, Porter reinvented his sound with Nurture, switching from the otherworldly fantasy-scapes of his previous project to a more grounded and introspective look into appreciating the nuances of everyday-life. The record’s visual direction, led by Samuel Burgess-Johnson, was brilliantly crafted and served as an excellent base of inspiration for this project.

Role

Illustration

Self-initiated Work

Kicking the album off, Lifelike serves as a portal into the world of Nurture. This short and shimmering acoustic piece gently revs you up.

An abstract illustration of a tail of light entering a forest—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 1st track on Nurture, Lifelike

Following the intro track, Look at the Sky is an upbeat pop anthem which sets the tone for the rest of the project. It delves into the trappings of self doubt and imposter syndrome, covering the struggles of burnout and living up to expectations set by prior success.

An abstract illustration of the sky—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 2nd track on Nurture, Look at the Sky

Get Your Wish, the lead single of the project, is a drum-and-synth-heavy banger featuring sunny hooks. The track describes Porter's pursuit of finding a source of true fulfilment in his journey of making music.

An abstract illustration of a eddies of water—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 3rd track on Nurture, Get Your Wish

Wind Tempos is a six-minute-long instrumental medley seamlessly weaving through a variety of soundscapes. An glitchy opening piano passage eventually transitions to an utterly beautiful solo inspired by the likes of Takagi Masakatsu and Joe Hisaishi. The track culminates with a set of moving, artificial vocals giving way to a refreshing outro.

An abstract illustration of a field of grass with a strong wind blowing through it—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 4th track on Nurture, Wind Tempos

This electro-pop earworm personifies the blissful joy and euphoria of making art better than any track I've heard before. This synth-heavy track is a celebration of ‘the artist’; it flickers between the difficulties of creating art and the bursts of inspiration that spawn the works we love.

An abstract illustration of a burst of energy—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 13th track on Nurture, Musician

A cute and lightening flip on conventional drum'n'bass, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do is a pleasant throwback to childhood. It has an atmosphere filled with glee, free from the woes of the world. As Anthony Fantano so aptly put it, this is “what living in Animal Crossing must be like”.

An abstract illustration of a field of grass with orbs of light floating up—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 6th track on Nurture, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do

Mother is a melancholic look at growing up. Porter reminisces the eventual bittersweet reality of moving out on your own, leaving behind a lot what made your formative years.

An abstract illustration of a window and a curtain—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 7th track on Nurture, Mother

Dullscythe is the most experimental track on the record. Featuring an effectively non-existent tempo, this barrage of sounds hits you from every-which-direction resulting in what I can only describe as a satisfyingly-chaotic piece.

An abstract illustration of blocky patches of green, white, blue, and black—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 8th track on Nurture, Dullscythe

Sweet Time is, as Porter puts it, about “being so in love with someone that, for the first time in your life, you’re scared of dying”. The heartbeat-esque padded drum loop in this track is its defining sonic signature. It reverberates through, as Porter paints a dreamlike picture of meeting God and stopping to time to bask in a world free from the clutches of mortality.

An abstract illustration of a balled up string of light causing ripples—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 9th track on Nurture, Sweet Time

Mirror cuts deep. It is, in my opinion, the sharpest and heaviest-hitting piece on the record, depicting the back-and-forth battle of dealing with criticism and how it affects your self-worth and creativity.

An abstract illustration of a shard of glass—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 10th track on Nurture, Mirror

Conceived at Porter's ‘lowest point’, Something Comforting is an upbeat pumping dance record which encapsulates the essence of the project as a whole. To me, it feels like a warm hug.

An abstract illustration of large circle—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 11th track on Nurture, Something Comforting

Blossom is a gorgeous acoustic ballad Porter dedicated to his partner. It's an extremely heartfelt letter of love featuring one of the few instances on the project where Porter sings using his natural voice, essentially removing the comfort of the mask provided by a vocal filter.

An abstract illustration of a sakura blossom—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 12th track on Nurture, Blossom

Unfold, without doubt, features the most grandiose soundscape on the record. Right at the tail-end of the record, the track provides a mesmerising final punch, lush with a set of heavenly vocals from TEED. Colin Joyce's description of the track as “blissed-out digital shoegaze” is quite apt.

An abstract illustration of a swirl of water folding onto itself—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 13th track on Nurture, Unfold

The closing track, Trying to Feel Alive, finds Porter seeking an answer for what the point of the journey was. Satisfaction was never the real goal; the struggles give life its colour.

An abstract illustration of a person laying down on an empty field—an attempt at capturing the essence of the 14th track on Nurture, Trying To Feel Alive

Check the Album out. it really is a 10/10 ↗

Beam me up, Scotty