Bandcamp Pick of the Week 3/28/2025

It’s our Bandcamp Pick of the Week, featuring Nicole Grace’s whimsically folksy solo outing MINERAL FORK!

Nicole Grace – MINERAL FORK

Genre: Country, Folk

Favorite Tracks: “REDBUD,” “DEAD DEER”

St. Louis-based musician Nicole Bonura had a prolific 2024. Her band Hot Joy released one of my favorite EPs of 2024, opened for Phantogram on their stop through St. Louis, and then, over the summer, Bonura quietly dropped her first solo EP under the moniker Nicole Grace. It slid under the radar, perhaps overshadowed by Hot Joy’s busy year, but it’s also fitting for Bonura, whose four songs on MINERAL FORK are folky and subdued compared to the big indie rock sounds of Hot Joy.  

I first heard songs penned by Bonura after she formed the band Honeydew with some darling friends of mine from The Vanilla Beans. They put out a couple of nice demo tracks, and I was taken by a song called “Drugs.” I found myself drawn to it for its sugary sweet harmonies and Bonura’s ability to reflect on such small moments with precise details that made every song feel genuine to moments in her life. It was a simple and silly and moving song reminiscent of the fuzzy warbles of a Daniel Johnston cassette and Kimya Dawson’s first few records post Moldy Peaches.

On MINERAL FORK, Bonura continues her self-exploration through song, now focusing on leaving your twenties behind and embracing the dirt beneath your feet. Folks who enjoy the acoustic strums of Aldous Harding and Adrianne Lenker are likely to embrace MINERAL FORK for its ability to make you feel like getting lost in the woods or sitting by a creek watching the clouds swirl by. As a songwriter, Bonura conjures summer nights soundtracked by Nick Drake and the cheeky lyrical smiles in John Prine’s work. It’s a beautiful and hopeful and brief record that excites me to see what this singer-songwriter’s journey through the woods will take her. Check it out on Bandcamp.