University of Rhode Island third-year Ewan Nosovskiy released his first album, “Night Vision,” on Sept. 14. 

The album is a ten-track, 80s pop-inspired nostalgic record, with Nosovskiy handling vocals, lyrics, instruments and production.

Nosovskiy described the album in three words: “Saturated, vibrant and deep.”

“The sound I was going for was that vintage 80s sound,” Nosovskiy said.

He emphasized the synthesizers and “big drums from the 80s.”

Some other inspirations behind the album included yacht rock, sophisti-pop and Japanese city pop, which have elements of jazz. One song on the album features a French accordion. 

“Some of the biggest inspirations were Kiyotaka Sugiyama, Omega Tribe, Level 42, Johnny Hates Jazz, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald…all that stuff.” Nosovskiy said.

The songwriting process for “Night Vision” varied greatly from song to song, according to Nosovskiy. He sometimes jotted lyrics on blank receipt papers while he worked as a barista. Then, he spent months recording and producing each track.

To post the final album online, Nosovskiy sent it to a distributor who then released it on Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora. He then sent the album to a company called elasticStage to create vinyl records and CDs.

Nosovskiy released a few singles before his album: an instrumental electronic track called “Supercharged Rhythms” and a country track based on an inside joke, titled “I need another beer.”

The aspiring musician had planned to make an album as early as 2017, but became serious in February. Some projects he had already started, as far back as a song he wrote for a sixth-grade English final, while others he began working on as late as August, including the concluding track, “Fading Rays of Summer.”

Nosovskiy said that when writing the track, he noticed that people began to reflect at the end of the summer. 

“It has a hint of melancholy and sentiment to it,” Nosovskiy said.

The reflection and nostalgia of the song make it a natural fit for a final track.

Nosovskiy described the reception for his album as “overwhelming, in a good way.”

People from the United Kingdom, Russia and Kazakhstan have complimented him on the album. “I’ll Let you take my Heart” and “Man on the Mission” are some fan favorites. A listener from Moscow even went on a 30-minute rant to Nosovskiy’s mother about how they loved the song, “I believe.”

Nosovskiy describes himself as a perfectionist, ensuring that every track on the album is worthy for the public to hear. However, he did put a lot into the fifth track, “I’ll let you take my heart.” 

“I let that song take my heart, pretty much,” Nosovskiy said.

Nosovskiy has familial connections to music; his grandfather was a theater composer and director in the former USSR. His family was very supportive in the process of making the album. His mother guided and critiqued his music, which he said was especially valuable because he was not working with a band or team of writers.

“I’ve been involved with music pretty much my whole life,” Nosovskiy said. “I started playing piano at the age of five, that’s when I started taking lessons.”

Since then, the musician has picked up several instruments, including guitar, bass and drums. He also does work in music and audio production. Nosovskiy recalled that when he was young, he would pose the same way his grandfather used to.

“I got a little toy keyboard as a gift and I’d just stand there, and I’d pose up the same way my grandfather used to pose up when he was writing songs,” Nosovskiy said.

In 2021, shortly after the COVID-19 shutdown, Nosovskiy began to teach himself to sing. His motivation came after returning to music school and joining the youth rock ensemble.

Music also made Nosovskiy change majors.

“It’s a funny story, actually, because music is the reason I’m in film,” Nosovskiy said. “Originally, I started as a computer science major, and it was just not for me.”

After a friend asked if he could soundtrack a film, they liked his work and asked Nosovskiy to return. Nosovskiy now hopes to combine his interests in cinematography, directing and music. 

“Everything somehow always comes back to music,” Nosovskiy said. “If I can stay as close to music and film as I can, great, I’d be content.”

Nosovskiy is now working on more music and has plans for a second album.

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