British singer-songwriter and actor Kate Nash has announced her fifth studio album — her first LP in five years — previewed by new single "Millions of Heartbeats."
Marking her debut release for Kill Rock Stars, 9 Sad Symphonies is due June 21. It follows Nash's 2018 album, Yesterday Was Forever, and was partially inspired by working with the record's Danish producer, Frederick Thaae, on the Off-Broadway production Only Gold.
Consequently, 9 Sad Symphonies sees the artist take cues from musicals and romanticize old Hollywood glamour as a way to cope with the harrowing realities of the modern music industry.
“I've climbed through the sewers of this industry and so my goal is to make good music I believe in, to have longevity, and have good live shows,” Nash said in a statement. "I don't feel competitive with the industry anymore. I've been in the game for twenty years, and I'm in my own league now."
Of the sweeping opening track, "Millions of Heartbeats," which she calls "a song about losing your spark," Nash added, "It can be difficult to find hope in a world that’s constantly bombarding you with bad news, chaos and capitalism. It’s scary when you lose that spark and can’t lift yourself out of a pit. It can feel like that light you once had might never come back. The button to the song is that there’s millions of heartbeats on this planet and that’s the reason we have to try. All we have right now is Earth and each other. And that’s actually a lot. So just keep trying."
Watch the Ryan Baxley-directed "Millions of Heartbeats" video below, where you can also check out the full album tracklist.
9 Sad Symphonies:
1. Millions of Heartbeats
2. Misery
3. Wasteman
4. Abandoned
5. Horsie
6. My Bile
7. These Feelings
8. Space Odyssey 2001
9. Ray
10. Vampyre