"There's a real warmth about London-based jazz septet Nérija on their debut album. It might have something to do with the close-knit harmonies of the horn front line (...) or the fact that this young collective have known each other since they were teens attending the free weekend jazz workshop Tomorrow's Warriors ... Each band member has penned their own compositions on Blume: a mix of frenetic Afrobeats on Last Straw, written by Sheila Maurice-Grey; choral balladry on the title track, by Nubya Garcia; and Cassie Kinoshi's scattergun hip-hop fusion on EU (Emotionally Unavailable). For all the variety (...), Nérija rarely stray from the comfortable territory of mid-tempo, mid-dynamic improvisation. When playing live, they're a formidable force, carving new shapes with propulsive solos from Garcia, Kinoshi and guitarist Shirley Tetteh. Here, though, they feel constrained by the studio - their warmth a safety blanket, rather than a moving and engaging force"

"Nérija is a collective comprising seven of the brightest stars on London's alternative jazz scene ... All are bandleaders in their own right. You would expect such a line-up to deliver the goods and it does. Among Blume's charms is a great vibe. A defining feature of the new London scene is its collegiate nature. This did not come about by accident. The influence of the pioneering Tomorrow's Warriors project is writ large ... Most of the scene's leading players, including those in Nérija, attended Tomorrow's Warriors before and/or during their conservatoire training (and in the case of Shirley Tetteh, instead of it). Central to Tomorrow's Warriors' educational approach is the idea of comradely unity, the prioritisation of co-operation over competition, and the philosophy is part of Nérija's creative process ... There are no sharp elbows at play - and the sense of good fellowship seeps out of the music, too"

"The rowdy and promising debut from this London septet is further evidence of the London jazz scene's vitality ... Nérija bill themselves as a collective, not a group, and they leave plenty of room for individual voices to shine. Nubya Garcia, whose excellent debut Nubya's 5ive was released in 2017, blows sultry, fluid lines as well as thick, repeated phrases that bring to mind a jam-band saxophonist crossed with Coltrane ... Shirley Tetteh emerges as the album's unexpected star. The absence of another chordal instrument like the piano gives the guitarist room to stretch out when it comes to melody, harmony and texture. Her rhythmic accompaniment is tight and in the pocket, but often gets weird and spacey, sounding like a mixture of Nile Rodgers and Mary Halvorson"