THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A posthumous record is always charged with emotion — but when it comes from a 17-year-old artist that was just getting started it is particularly heartbreaking.
Anxious is a mesmerizing selection of songs that explore the highs, lows and uncertainty of teenage life through the eyes of Nell Smith. It is the followup to Where The Viaduct Looms, her debut collaboration with The Flaming Lips that explored the works of Nick Cave. Guided by the talented Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles, who helped shape Nell’s songs — some of which had been in the works since she was 12 years old — the result is an album brimming with emotion, playful melodies and a depth that hints at what Nell’s future may have held.
Nell’s record includes three songs which were written in partnership with Canadian folk band Shred Kelly, with whom she spent winter evenings writing in her hometown of Fernie, B.C., huddled round the fire in 2022. The Wolters completed these songs and the rest of the works in Brighton in 2023. Nell’s first and only studio recording session at Bella Union’s studio in Brighton at the tender age of 15 was an intense mix of long days, with Jack and Lily expertly teasing out what was really going on in Smith’s mind with the help of Doritos, fizzy sweets, Coca Cola and inspiration gained by sneaking her into venues to see local bands play.
Born in Leeds, U.K., in 2007, Nell listened to music in utero following her mother’s plan which was to give her familiar sounds once she was born to aid her to settle more easily. As she grew, she was attracted to music and quickly developed an interest in artists including Herman Dune, Arcade Fire, Metronomy, Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Fleet Foxes and MGMT. Attending festivals with her family, Nell experienced live music from an early age and grew more and more interested. After moving to Canada in 2012, she gravitated towards Flaming Lips and eventually saw them in Spokane in 2017 at age 10, bursting into tears of joy when she saw the tickets. She watched the show from the front row with her brother.
Fast forward to 2018 and Nell was again at a Lips show. Tenacious and determined, she managed to get a letter to the tour bus, and her yelling from the side of the stage prior to the show caught the attention of Wayne Coyne, who came and said hi. Following Nell’s prompt, he went on the bus and found the letter. A duet through the space bubble while Wayne sang David Bowie’s Space Oddity created a connection, and Wayne maintained contact with Nell’s parents as she learned to play guitar.
Nell started performing live at the age of 11, playing alongside established musicians and writing her own songs. In 2020 she recorded an album of Cave cover versions under the tutelage of Coyne. Where the Viaduct Looms was released on Nov. 26, 2021.”
