Kim Deal of The Breeders, The Amps, and Pixies fame is set to release her first-ever solo album. The alt-rocker Bassist and Vocalist has decided to see what she can make on her own again, and it arrives on November 22, 2024, through 4AD, under the title Nobody Loves You More. This melancholy yet whimsical album is an array of interesting stories that prance around melodic horns and strings. A mixed bag of sound, this is the second solo release by Deal herself. Coming after a five-part, ten-song, seven-inch vinyl series in 2013 that was a self-released project more than a full album, this is her first time to make a big impact with a full-length studio album.
Her last solo release was the same year as Deal’s departure from the Pixies, and since then, she turned her attention to The Breeders with the release of All Nerve in 2018 and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1993 album Last Splash through a 2023 remaster release. Using legendary 4AD for both The Breeders releases and her solo work, Deal has cemented herself as one of the cornerstones of the highly ethereal sound of the label.
To create the sound of the first and last tracks of Nobody Loves You More, Deal worked with Sound Engineer Steve Albini in his electrical studio in Chicago. The colloquial founder of Noise Rock, the polish is obvious in these two songs which fall into place like jigsaw pieces. The electric guitar takes a joyride during “A Good Time Pushed” in a way that feels missing in the rest of the album, though that is not an explicit criticism because it plays its role well in each of the songs. Sometimes the soapbox to stand on, others the soap itself to wash the noise clean. There should not be a surprise when we say “Nobody Loves You More” is the exemplary song on the album. The first track and the title-track, the song sets up the themes that the rest of the album plays on and gives a taste of the instruments at play for the next thirty-five minutes of music.
Over the six-year gap since her band released new music, Deal has worked to refine the new sounds of this present release. “Big Ben Beast” and “Disobedience” are brandish complex sound that takes a few listens to fully appreciate. Taking backward glances at the Grunge of her old work, she finds a way to make the essence of surf guitar sail over the pit of reverb and low bass chords, in turn creating music that breathes through its chord progressions. There is little that can feel overused or old with the springy choirgirl voice of Deal. Her sound absorbs the music and becomes even fuller as she sings. This is prevalently in “Bats in the Afternoon Sky.” Maybe a little esoteric with its non-lyrical singing, the song flies by quickly like a memory of when you thought you knew what love was.
With some new music that is slick with edgy shade, there is also the melodic beauty of other songs like Coast, a scampering piece that provides objective answers to the hell of youth. It could be the horns or rhythmic pacing of Deal’s singing, but the song flows like water against sand, crashing softly against a moving landscape. This song shines out as Yacht Rock infused Pop with its fumes of nostalgia in storytelling and swingy feel-good rhythms. There is a different story for “Summerland,” which tells of times in the Keys through the lens of a dazzling and slowly enormous night. There is wondrous momentum for the endless emptiness of space in both Deal’s singing and guitar playing.
It is also important to note that some of the songs on Nobody Loves You More were written and originally recorded over a decade ago. For example, “Are You Mine” and “Wish I Was” were written in 2011. These songs were written after the Lost Cities Tour with the Pixies and were released in her first batch of solo music. The first inklings of the album, released over a decade ago, each have had plenty of time to grow and build into the grand release of Nobody Loves You More. These two have a twinge of swaying bedroom depression in them that wraps around your head and lingers for a while. Her voice is like a sip of warm vodka after the best worst night of your life. Intoxicating and desperate.
Overall, Nobody Loves You More is an entrancing release of music that is different from her work in the Alternative Rock world as a lead singer for a band. This more individual and personal approach ostensibly shows a new chapter for the singer. There is a lot to love because of how unique the sound of each song can be. From the crashing echoes of “Crystal Breath” to the haunting of “Bats in the Afternoon Sky” there is life in this album. For this reason, CrypticRock gives Nobody Loves You More 5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment