Kim Deal – ‘Nobody Loves You More’ album review: a mellowed reintroduction
THE SKINNY: Decades into her career, Kim Deal is set to deliver her solo debut with Nobody Loves You More. Of course, it’s less of a debut and more of a reintroduction. It’s a record that feels like an encounter with an old friend who has swapped their leather jackets for denim, whose eyes and handshake seem to have softened a little over the years, but whose smile has never changed.
Deal is most well-known for her contributions to guitar music in the 1990s, working with transgressive alt-rockers Pixies and, later, side project turned cult band The Breeders. Now, she’s finally releasing under her own name for the first time, shrugging off the harsh guitar sounds and off-putting lyricism that characterised her earlier work in favour of stirring strings and treasured stories from her own life.
Some songs sound like odes to old pop, pairing gentle declarations of love with swelling strings. Others return to the harsher sounds of her roots, to grainy guitars and expletives. But they’re all pulled together by Deal’s voice. Not just her literal voice but the authenticity she affords each track, the way she allows her own experiences and interests to spill into them at will, roping in a slew of trusted collaborators to help her do so.
It’s certainly a softer offering than most of her previous work, but it makes sense that her sound has mellowed and matured since the alt-rock explosion of the 1990s. Listening to Nobody Loves You More feels like extending your run-in with Deal to a coffee shop catch-up, allowing her to talk you through the years in each song and leaving you with a better understanding of her artistry than ever before.
For fans of: Running into old friends, discovering that they’re simultaneously completely different and exactly the same.
A concluding comment from a Pixies purist: “Needs more loud quiet loud.”
Nobody Loves You More track by track:
Release date: November 22nd | Producer: Kim Deal | Label: 4AD
‘Nobody Loves You More’: The record opens with its title track, a soft, string-led piece that allows Deal’s vocals to drift comfortably from line to line, shrugging off statements like, “I don’t know where I am, but I don’t care.” It’s a reintroduction to a more mellow, mature Deal and a gorgeous opener. [3/5]
‘Coast’: Jubilant horns come to the fore on ‘Coast’, on which Deal implores us to abandon all plans for the good times. The instrumentation is subtly carefree, allowing lazy beats and guitar twangs to circle around one another to emulate the feeling of the coast. [3/5]
‘Crystal Breath’: There’s a little more edge on ‘Crystal Breath’, which opens with an intriguing collage of echoing vocals and pulsing percussion. The track falls into an entrancing beat, while Deal allows it to lead her in her quest to start a new life. “Gotta breathe,” her ethereal vocals declare, “Then I feel alright.” [3/5]
‘Are You Mine’: Deal returns to softer territory on ‘Are You Mine’, which sounds like a classic pop song, a declaration of love that would be more suited to 1950s radio than the modern day. Once again, Deal allows strings to lead the track, heightening her slightly eerie but love-laden lyrics. [3.5/5]
‘Disobedience’: ‘Disobedience’ contains some of those elements that characterised Deal’s early work, with grainy 1990s guitars and percussive crashes, but they’re still softened in her new form. Her voice towers over them, declaring, “If this is all we are, I’m fucked.” It’s certainly one of the more aggressive offerings on the album, which is sure to please Pixies fans. [3/5]
‘Wish I Was’: Deal takes a moment to reflect on ageing in ‘Wish I Was’, which finds her yearning for youth once more. “How I aspire you, the look and the lie of you,” she observes, “I see the sun on your hair.” Her gorgeous lyrics are accompanied by equally enchanting guitars and a soft sway, and the instrumentation is as regretful but accepting as Deal’s words. [3.5/5]
‘Big Ben Beat’: Deal finds her fierier side once more on ‘Big Ben Beat’, which graces us with truly noisy guitars and unrelenting drums, a welcome return to her darker sonic roots. Lyrically, too, Deal allows herself to fall back into the darkness, singing, “Bursting bodies, headband ponytails, battle childish giants, talking to the wall like talking to the nieces, you’re all freaks to me.” [3/5]
‘Bats In The Afternoon Sky’: ‘Bats In The Afternoon Sky’ is a short interlude that overlays Deal’s vocalisations with strange, blurry sounds and out-of-place keys. [3/5]
‘Summerland’: ‘Summerland’ is another of those wistful, old-timey pop tracks, one that finds Deal reflecting on winters spent in the Florida Keys with family. She describes dazzling stars and possibilities, the optimism in her words reflected in the strings that swell around them. “I’m not even tired,” she affirms, “This world’s for me.” [3.5/5]
‘Come Running’: ‘Come Running’ is a particular highlight of the record, a track that splices Deal’s promises to come running with gentle melodies and soaring guitar moments. It sounds like mixing the old and the new, the soft and the loud. It sounds like Kim Deal. [3.5/5]
‘A Good Time Pushed’: Created with the late Steve Albini, the closing track ‘A Good Time Pushed’ is another example of Deal at her most honest, admitting her desires to follow and push people off the world at the same time. “I’ll see you around,” she sings towards the end of the song, “We are, we’re having a good time.” [3.5/5]
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