Kate Nash has released Space Odyssey 2001 as the latest single from her first studio album in six years, ‘9 Sad Symphonies’.
A cinematic love song, the track sees Nash recall her first date with her partner and poke fun at her movie choice, with the singer-songwriter sharing in a statement: “It’s the wrong film for a date, but I love the film. I like making jokes in songs.
“I like that there’s this beautiful love song but it’s also complaining about this critically acclaimed film being too long. I don’t recommend it for a first date!”
“Space Odyssey… is a love song about my partner who I was friends with for many years, but we met up at just the right time in the summer of 2017, both single and very unexpectedly fell in love.
“Romance came back into my life in this effervescent, joyful and healing way. I’d been through so much pain and toxicity.”
On the self-directed, horror-inspired music video for the follow-up to lead release Millions Of Heartbeats, she adds: “We would take a lot of road trips and went back to this cabin a number of times around my birthday. It became a refuge during the pandemic. Total escapism, wilderness and peace.
“We shot this video with just the two of us. The idea was inspired again by musical theatre, but also I guess my love of horror bleeds into a lot of visuals. I love using horror to represent emotional trauma.
“In the video, I arrive at this homestead having been through hell, exhausted and at the point of no return. I am rescued by a half-man/half-donkey. It’s inspired by Shakespeare and the way his plays use surrealism, fairytale and classic love stories, but also the genuine complexities of human relationships.
“I’m taken into this homestead as I’m ready to give up and am healed by sunshine, friendship, food, joy, animals, nature and falling in love with someone you really don’t expect, which transforms me from a broken, bloody mess to a higher level self (in this case, a fairy).”
Listen to Kate Nash’s new single, Space Odyssey 2001, and watch the music video below.
‘9 Sad Symphonies’ is Nash’s first album to be released via US record label Kill Rock Stars and draws on “inspiration from old Hollywood glamour, vintage musicals, and the relentless pursuit of beauty in a chaotic world.”
Of the release, which reunites Nash with Danish producer Frederick Thaae, she adds: “We were in this completely different landscape for writing songs [on the musical], which was completely freeing.
“I was writing for a story, I was writing about a King and a Queen and a proper story arc. In that world you need the audience to understand the songs immediately, it’s very direct, and it has lots of editing which I’d never done. It changed my outlook on songwriting.
“Also, we said at the beginning that we wanted to make something beautiful, nothing harsh. I’ve done a lot of harsh stuff before. We wanted loads of beautiful string arrangements.”
In support of the release, she’ll hold a launch event at EartH in London on May 17, followed by a headline show on November 28 at KOKO.
Tickets for both are on sale now.
Tracklist: Kate Nash – 9 Sad Symphonies
1. Millions of Heartbeats
2. Misery
3. Wasteman
4. Abandoned
5. Horsie
6. My Bile
7. These Feelings
8. Space Odyssey 2001
9. Ray
10. Vampyre
