Nautical Young: Hitting Their Stride “Just in Time”

Nautical Young’s debut mixtape, Just in Time, is set to drop sometime this week. The group has been fairly quiet since last Spring Party Weekend when they opened for Lupe Fiasco. Known then as Fourte, they recently changed their name to more accurately portray their musical identity. Group member senior Collin McLoughlin explained the meaning behind the new name.

“In Phoenician times, sailors described the North Star as the nautical star; the center of the sky meant to unify their journey and give them direction,” McLoughlin said. “Our group comes from such different places and styles of music that our material is in essence our nautical star, serving as the meeting place for our artistic expression.”

McLoughlin, senior Garrington Spence (“Gspence”), senior Ty Henry and senior Uzoma Idah have been hard at work since last spring’s concert. The product of their hard work, Just in Time, shows how much they have grown together musically. “On Top of the World,” “The Shining” and “Stay Late” are songs that demonstrate the group’s ability, providing Henry, Spence and Idah the opportunity to showcase their lyrical aptitude. “Hit the Floor” represents the most polished of the group’s songs, combining a captivating hook and some of the best verses on the mixtape. The group still has some growing to do as “Arrived” relies too heavily on auto-tune and distorts McLoughlin’s hook, and “Paradise” does not provide Henry, Spence and Idah with a beat conducive to their flows, but expect to hear the quartet all over campus, and eventually on your radio.