Nico Harmony: Civilisation of Love
(Self Released)
DL/Streaming
Out Now
Hotly tipped Nico Harmony, the Manchester based songwriter and multi-genre artist releases debut single Civilisation of Love ahead of an EP later in 2026.
The young artist, inspired by world music, jazz and psychedelia may not be an unfamiliar name to many, first mentioned on Louder Than War by John Robb a couple of years ago, declaring, ‘classic Lana Del Ray croons from the rainy city for the modern age’.
To be fair though, any musically minded Mancunian’s will be aware of Nico through the numerous dates over the last couple of years which culminated in her winning Best Female Artist in The Manc Review Awards 2025 & being described as ‘Manchester’s next Superstar’ by the King Monkey himself, The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown.
As well as touring Nico spent time in 2025 recording, which has led to this release. Civilisation of Love, an ethereal, spacey, vibe that will make you want to smile, taken from the EP of the same name which will be out in August, Nico saying, ‘I wrote this song to dance into a better world with more love and less war.’
As people may be aware Nico has music in her DNA. Named after the German singer, songwriter, actress and model who found herself in Manchester in the early 1980’s, her Dad is the renowned drummer Spencer Birtwistle of Laugh, Intastella, The Fall, and plays on this this track whilst her Mum is Stella Grundy, who fronted Intastella and later wrote Nico Icon Play, which had a long run at Salford’s Lowry Theatre, and was also involved in the production of the video.
Ironically, although the artist grew up surrounded by creativity Nico was studying engineering at university, before leaving to follow her passion for music, despite having been up close in the cutthroat world of the industry and warnings from her mum about the challenges ahead.
For Civilisation of Love Nico has been working with the talented producer Dean Glover (Antony Szmierek) at VIBE Recording Studios in Manchester (formerly owned by New Order). Dean is a fan too, saying ‘When you’re a natural Superstar and it’s literally in your DNA then it’s pressure to show the world what you’re all about. This single sets it off to a perfect start. I’m blessed to produce worldwide influences, serious depth and absolutely next level singing from Nico’
The EP launch is some time away yet, set for Saturday 8th August at the Eagle Inn, Salford but Nico promises there are also other exciting live events to be announced… it looks like it will be a busy time as she says she’s creating a whole universe of music to share, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying we can’t wait to hear it…
For more on Nico Harmony visit her Facebook / Instagram
Photo of Nico Harmony provided by @helsmillphotography
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
