Nuno Henry Silva - Power Trip

​Nuno Henry Silva

Power Trip
self-released; 2026

By Jamie Funk

Prolific artists sometimes reveal themselves most clearly when they loosen their grip on consistency. On Power Trip, Nuno Henry Silva moves between the intimate, guitar-led songwriting that has defined much of his work and a more exploratory interest in loops, electronics, and rhythm. The two approaches give the release a slightly divided character, but they also capture an artist expanding his vocabulary without abandoning what already works. More importantly, some of Silva’s strongest songwriting emerges in the process.

Up first is “Power Trip,” and I really enjoyed this one. It is melodic and warm, with some of the most affecting moments I’ve heard from Silva. His slightly frayed vocal delivery recalls J Mascis, not necessarily in tone alone but in the way the singing seems to carry emotion without polishing away its rough edges. I loved the lyrics too. Silva sings, “Counting down the minutes / Second by second-hand / You want time to go back / When time can only go ahead.” It is a simple observation, but there is something quietly brutal about its finality, and Silva gives the words enough room to register.

“Now and Again” contains some exceptionally slick guitar work. John Frusciante comes to mind, particularly the skeletal, searching quality of his early solo recordings rather than the more recognizable Red Hot Chili Peppers vocabulary. Once again, Silva’s lyrics are a major part of the appeal, giving the guitar playing something more substantial to orbit.

“All the Way Around” strips things down further. It has the atmosphere of a late-night gathering around a fire, with subtle psychedelic guitar flourishes drifting through the acoustic chords. The vocals are loose and playful, occasionally sounding almost improvised. That lack of rigidity suits the song. Rather than pushing toward a dramatic payoff, Silva allows it to wander, making the performance feel unusually immediate.

“Vortex (Loop Song)” was not what I was expecting. There are no vocals, and the emphasis shifts toward groove, repetition, and texture. Its funky pulse introduces a side of Silva I don’t remember hearing this explicitly before. As the track develops, electronic elements begin accumulating around the guitar until the whole thing takes on a more cerebral character.

“Dark/Light (Loop Song)” pushes that idea further. It is denser, more electronic, and heavily driven by percussion, with sounds continuously entering and reshaping the track. It is easily the release’s most intense piece, though it still feels connected to Silva’s broader interest in texture and repetition.

I do love both of these approaches, although I think they might ultimately work better on separate releases. The difference is noticeable rather than jarring. The earlier songs lean toward sparse, emotive songwriting, while the loop-based pieces put more emphasis on groove, electronics, and production. They can coexist, but each style has enough of its own identity that I occasionally found myself wondering what a full release devoted to either direction might sound like.

That slight unevenness does little to diminish the individual songs. In fact, I think Power Trip contains some of the best material I’ve heard from Silva. There is a confidence in the writing and a growing curiosity in the production that suggest something has shifted. I have a feeling there is more to come, and Power Trip feels like an artist discovering a few new possibilities without losing sight of the qualities that made his earlier work compelling.

​This keeps your original point that the two approaches may work better separately, without presenting them as stylistic polar opposites.

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