Nipiy

nipiy is the debut album by Edmonton-based band nêhiyawak,^[1] released on October 24, 2019, on Arts & Crafts Productions.^[2] It was nominated for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2020 Juno Awards,^[3] and shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.^[4]

nipiy
Studio album by nêhiyawak
Released	October 24, 2019 (2019-10-24)
Recorded	Hive Studios, Vancouver Island
Label	Arts & Crafts Records
Producer	Colin Stewart

Background and themes

The album was produced by Colin Stewart,^[1] who also produced their 2018 EP starlight.^[5] It was recorded at Stewart's Hive Studios,^[6] located on Vancouver Island.^[7]

nipiy is a Cree word for water. Many tracks contain references to issues affecting Indigenous Canadians; the album was largely inspired by the Idle No More movement.^[7] The track disappear references the disappearance of Indigenous people in Canada and Honduras, and was inspired by a 2013 lecture by Bertha Oliva,^[2] while Perch was written about addiction.^[2] open window is about the Residential School System and the Sixties Scoop,^[8] and features Cree-language spoken-word poetry from band member Kris Harper's parents.^[7] The Cree language can also be seen in song titles: the opening and closing tracks are named after kisiskâciwanisîpiy, the Cree word for the North Saskatchewan River,^[9] while the track ôtênaw, which discusses urbanization,^[8] is named after the Cree word for city.^[9] The album also features elements of Indigenous music, including the use of traditional instrumentation. Marek Tyler plays an elk-hide frame drum, a carved cedar log drum, and a pow-wow drum,^[10] gifted to him by Carey Newman, a Kwakwakaʼwakw and Coast Salish artist.^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Exclaim!	8/10[8]
The Manitoban	4/5[11]

The album received positive reviews from critics. Andrea Warner called nipiy "one of the best rock albums of the year" in a CBC piece highlighting nêhiyawak as one of 7 Canadian artists who broke out in 2019.^[12] Jake Cardinal, writing for Edmonton Scene, said that nêhiyawak "created an album without any bad songs, which is a feat nowadays, but they have also managed to find a style that is fully their own."^[13]

nipiy was listed by BeatRoute as one of the 10 Best Alberta Releases of 2019.^[14]