Kate Nash returns with her classic punchy lyrics for her first album in six years, while US singer Kehlani explores R&B sounds on her fourth record. – Kate Nash – 9 Sad Symphonies (2024) Singer-songwriter Kate Nash, known for her punchy melodies and honest lyrics, explores her sombre side in new album 9 Sad Symphonies. The Foundations singer worked on her ideas over Zoom with Danish producer Frederik Thaae, who she collaborated with on her musical Only Gold.
A few of the songs, including Ray and Misery, explore themes of mental health – something that Nash realised was affecting her fans during live streams over lockdown. The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly influenced her writing, with the singer admitting that the song Millions Of Heartbeats is “about that point in the pandemic where I had lost my spark for life.” Despite the subject matter, most of the tracks still sound upbeat and the lyrics, which include gems like ‘You’re just a wasteman’ and ‘The media supports all the far right scum’, are incredibly frank, which is typical of Nash’s songwriting.
The production and lyrics sometimes feel simplistic, but the beauty of Nash’s music is also in its accessibility. Score: 6/10 (Review by Hannah Roberts) – Linda Thompson – Proxy Music Vocal limitations from a long-term illness have brought about this ingeniously-titled album of new songs – the winking reference continued by Thompson re-creating Kari-Ann Moller glamorous cover picture from Roxy Music�.
