Smerz / Nourished by Time

On July 2, 2026, at the Philharmonie de Paris, two complementary visions of pop answer one another: Nourished by Time’s introspective, DIY groove against Smerz’s minimal, vocal constructions.

Nourished by Time
Marcus Brown shaped his project between jobs in Los Angeles and returns to Baltimore, working from the family basement and far from the academic confines of Berklee. He blends R&B, pop, groove, hip‑hop and electronic elements into a sound that is at once dreamlike and tightly focused, developed with DIY methods. Released in 2023, Erotic Probiotic 2 established a direct, melodic songwriting that drew critical attention. In 2025, The Passionates Ones confirmed this mix of crisp arrangements and handcrafted textures, where choruses interlock within a stripped-back production without losing impact.

Smerz
Friends since high school in Oslo, Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt formed Smerz in 2016 and were quickly noticed by XL Recordings. The duo works with drum machines, synths and ethereal vocals to produce minimalist, precise tracks that stick without overdoing it. After Believer (2021), they pursued two parallel directions in 2024: the EP Allina, in which Smerz invents a pop star and delivers more direct songs; and Tidligere den dagen, a choral piece written for the eight voices of the ensemble GAEA. Big city life (2025) brings these strands together in a second album that captures lived or imagined stories and sets them to music with supple, sharp songwriting.