Yep, I’m going right back to the well for this Tunesday. The well being Kate Nash. She was featured on Watsky’s Hey, Asshole and the perfectly timed release of that record stirred her somewhat dormant fan base (what? It’s been three years since her last release, ok?) just enough for her third full release, Girl Talk
The last Kate Nash record that got me wide-eyed was Foundations. Who didn’t like that title-track? (Don’t answer that. It’s rhetorical, I don’t want to know who didn’t like it, sorry. It’s awesome. Don’t ruin this.) As far as her second album is concerned, I wasn’t paying attention. Yeah, I completely missed that, so… Gonna pretend it didn’t happen.
This is a super exciting release for Kate Nash because it’s her first album released through her own record label, Have 10p. She started the label in 2011 with the intentions of giving back to the arts community.
In addition to the self-release, the sounds on this album greatly differ from the sound most associate her with which is a sweeter, gentler Kate Nash. Well… not on this record! She’s still as sweet and thoughtful as ever, but the delivery is way more 90s girl rock than anything found on Made of Bricks.
While cruising through the album, I was reminded of everything from The Breeders and Hole when Hole was good (see: Death Proof and Sister) to Bikini Kill and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Rap for Rejection. There’s even a little post-punk feeling accompanying the near-closing track, Labyrinth. She’s still unquestionably English and that, combined with her songwriting abilities and conversational singing style, gives the record a uniquely Kate Nash lilt that makes everything charming. Charming and badass.
Part Hart, in particular, is absolutely perfect for the days when you really just want to tell everyone to fuck off and can’t. Headphones. Girl Talk. Go. (We all have days like that, might as well give it a good soundtrack, right?)
“Death Proof” by Kate Nash*, which Kate explained as having a “Tarantino meets circus” feel
Kate Nash says that the change in musical direction, aka a straight run towards grrl rock & punky, surf-rock undertones, was not a conscious move but instead was simply the sound that fit what she needed to express.
*Fun Fact about the “Death Proof” video: The big line from this song, “Burn, burn, burn my heart, baby” is also a reference to a procedure that Nash had at age 16, where a piece of her heart had to actually be lasered (burned) off by a surgeon. Big ups for excellent lyrics!
But on: Amazon
| iTunes
If you’re as obsessive as me, you also listened to (or want to listen to) each and every bonus song off the EPs that accompanied this release. Just me? Ok, that’s fine.
So I came across a cover of “All Day And All Of The Night” – originally written, perfected and immortalized by The Kinks – that I cannot stop listening to. It’s breathy and weird and has a completely different vibe from the original version, but it’s completely hypnotic.
Extra Junk for Music Nerds
Kate Nash “Girl Talk” on Spotify
A video explaining Kate Nash’s partnership with Pledge Music, a space where fans and artists can connect.
Kate Nash talks to NME about her experience recording the record in “a mansion” in Los Angeles.