Given the size of her footprint on modern rock, it almost feels like a glitch in the Matrix that Kim Deal is only now releasing her debut solo album. But ‘Nobody Loves You More’ proves to be well worth the wait.
Brimming with sonically adventurous and gorgeously mellow songs, it reflects both creative constants and a desire for change in a songwriter whose 40 year career has seen her tip the world on its head twice over with indie trailblazers Pixies and The Breeders.
‘Nobody Loves You More’ came together with the help of a vast array of familiar characters over a 14-year period.
Deal’s late friend and legendary engineer Steve Albini helped steer recording, with members of Breeders slotting in alongside Fay Milton and Ayşe Hassan, formerly of Savages, and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
The opening run of tracks leave quite the impression. To start, the title track matches rich-but-rusty strings and horns with Deal’s heartfelt, yet somehow chilling, croon. Coast, an irreverent jam inspired by a wedding band with “revelatory levels of low self-esteem”, thrills through its breezy guitars and marching band pomp.
Cutting back against that is Crystal Breath, which takes an ominous turn and provides a welcome edge with driving beats and an industrial-punk vibe. There is a further experimental detour on Big Ben Beat, where Deal uses abrasive bass and psychedelic guitars for a sonic assault.
Elsewhere, Are you Mine? was written while Deal cared for her mother as she lived with Alzheimer’s. It is gorgeous, country-tinged and devastating, while the joyful melancholia of Disobedience delights in finding a more explosive rock sound of old.
The final quarter of the LP may lack immediacy, but the pensive A Good Time Pushed impressively closes proceedings with hazy guitars and a sense of yearning. “Part of me wants / To follow you off of this world,” Deal sings. ‘Nobody Loves You More’ is an intriguing, elegant showcase of a legend in the dusk of their career, ably proving why a venture into solo artistry was necessary.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
