The musician from Fairfield, Iowa, who records and performs under the name MR NASTI, released an album on Maximum Ames Records on Tuesday and has a gig at the Maximum Ames Music Festival on Sept. 27.

The release of “Truth Sound” is the culmination of a three-year journey for the Missouri-born musician. In 2011, he was living in Nashville and touring as a member of Children of Spy when they played a show on the same bill as Iowa bands Mumford’s and Utopia Park.

The Iowans convinced him to come through Iowa on his next tour. When Children of Spy played in Fairfield that fall, Nicholas Naioti quickly bonded with the locals.

Naioti moved to Fairfield, Iowa in October 2012 to take part in an artist-in-residence program. Over the course of a month, he collaborated with Dominic Rabalais (Utopia Park, Little Ruckus) to create an original musical, “The Curse of the Space Demon.” Three performances of the musical were staged, each of which sold out.

Following his residency, Naioti moved to Denver to continue his music career. He lived there for a short time before deciding to return to Fairfield. 

“I just broke my lease and came right back,” said Naioti. “I think the supportive community that we have in the music scene around Iowa lends itself to a lot of creativity, and I just love it here. I love Des Moines, I love Ames, and I really love Fairfield,” said Naioti. 

Since moving to Iowa, Natioi’s primary musical outlet has been MR NASTI. The project has produced two EPs and a self-titled album released in late 2012. When asked to describe his music, Naioti has some difficulty categorizing it in a genre.

“I think there’s some weird, modest aspect of my personality that makes that question very hard to answer,” said Naioti. “It’s kind of like shoegaze, electro, nostalgic, spacy rock and roll pop. [The description] always comes out a little different, and changes from day to day.”

Naioti has less trouble describing his new album. The artist calls “Truth Sound” a fusion of musical styles that have inspired him since leaving Nashville. He notes that its songs tackle many of the challenges of the human condition.

“It deals with a lot of concepts,” Naioti said. “The infinite potential of the human mind, the challenge in trying to understand death and the universal struggle that all people are enduring are the broader topics that I try to deal with.”

While various musical and philosophical inspirations contributed to the sound of the album, the intended format also played a role in shaping the content of “Truth Sound”.

Naioti, a vinyl enthusiast, said that he had a 12” release in mind from the moment he began production on the record. As such, the music was subject to the roughly 40-minute time limit of a single LP. In light of this, the songs are concise and lack the sprawling instrumental sections found in his previous work.

Focusing on the vinyl release also allowed Naioti to go all out on the album’s packaging. He sought out some of his favorite artists to design the album, including an elaborate inlay inside the album’s sleeve and photographs taken on rare, square format film.

Though a slight delay at the pressing plant means the album will only be available digitally for a short time, Naioti says the finished product will be worth the wait.  

“When you put on a record, it’s a ritual and it’s a celebration,” said Naioti. “It gives value to this thing that deserves value.”

Attendees of the Maximum Ames Music Festival will have the opportunity to hear songs from “Truth Sound” on Sept. 27 when MR NASTI performs at the recently opened Iowa Music Store. Naioti says he has an elaborate stage show, featuring a light show and a large band with an ever-changing lineup of Iowa musicians.

Following a multi-state tour this fall, Naioti will return to Fairfield, where he owns and operates two food service establishments. Though he isn’t on the road year-round, Naioti says he plans to make music and tour for a long time.

“It is my plan to always do music and to always tour,” said Naioti. “I sort of set my life up around being able to do that. I think if you’re always honest with yourself about what you want in life, and honest with the people around you, you will end up in a place in life that allows for whatever you wanna do. I’m sort of starting to get there. It’s pretty great.”