Nick Cave says songwriting is “excruciatingly solitary work”
While discussing the forthcoming album by The Bad Seeds, Nick Cave has opened up about his approach to songwriting, revealing it is an “excruciatingly solitary work”.
In January, confirmed that he is currently working on a new album for the Bad Seeds. In his recent Red Hand Files newsletter, the musician said: “This is both good news and bad news. Good news because who doesn’t want a new Bad Seeds record? Bad news because I’ve got to write the bloody thing.”
Now, he’s provided an update on the forthcoming album, stating: “I think the energy that we’re trying to find in our music needs to come from somewhere else other than basic rock & roll. There’s a lot of energy in the new record, but it’s not done as a rock & roll group, by which I mean guitar-orientated music.”
He continued to Rolling Stone: “Warren and I have been looking for ways to create music that has that kind of visceral energy about it. It’s not that we don’t know how to do energetic rock & roll — everybody knows how to do that stuff — I think we’re just looking at different ways to get to the emotional core of what I’m trying to write about.”
When asked about the connection between songwriting and solitude, Cave concurred, noting: “I have to be alone to write lyrics. Sadly, there is no one that can help me with this task. It is excruciatingly solitary work and takes a great many hours to write my songs. So, I spend a lot of time on my own. A lot. But it is not a preferred state. I like people. I like to talk to them. They are kind of awesome.”
Cave is currently touring the United States with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, which is set to conclude with the two dates at the Orpheum Theatre at the end of October.
Additionally, the Australian musician previously speculated Greenwood could make an appearance on the forthcoming Bad Seeds album. He told The New Yorker in March: “We haven’t gone into the actual recording of it, but we have a brilliant bass player in the Bad Seeds, Martyn Casey. Marty lives in Perth, Australia, but maybe Colin (Greenwood) will come in and play something.”
“He has a completely different style from Marty. Marty’s a jaw-dropping powerhouse who holds everything together. Colin tends to be more fluid and melodic,” Cave added.
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