Bella Union announce Nell Smith's posthumous debut solo album, Anxious

Anxious is the follow-up to Where The Viaduct Looms, her debut collaboration with The Flaming Lips that explored the works of Nick Cave. Guided by Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles, who helped shape Nell’s songs, some of which had been in the works since she was twelve years old, the result is an album that hints at what her future may have held.

Nell Smith’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, British Columbia, huddled round the fire in 2022. Jack and Lily Wolter subsequently completed these songs and the rest of the works in Brighton in 2023.

Nell’s family have also announced the creation of the Nell Smith Memorial Fund to honour her legacy and support emerging musicians, nurturing their artistic growth in recognition of the kindness and support that she was lucky enough to receive from the many people she met on her journey. The fund aims to raise $100,000 and award $10,000 every year for ten years with profits from the release going directly into the fund’s corpus.

Tracklist:

1. Anxious
2. Daisy Fields
3. Bubba
4. The Worst Best Drug
5. Service Song
6. Boy in a Bubble
7. Splash
8. I Know Nothing
9. Billions Of People
10. Split In The Sky