Nick Ward enters a new chapter with the announcement of his sophomore album, Year Of The Snake,set for release November 13 via EMI Music Australia, sharing its first taste today with “Piano” (ft. Glenn Gould).
His first release since 2024’s acclaimed debut House With The Blue Door, “Piano” signals a new evolution for Ward. Not one to repeat himself, Piano is unlike anything that Ward has released, and finds him pushing at the edges of his own sound. Written and co-produced alongside Kody Nielson (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Mint Chicks) and Timon Martin (BENEE, Babe Rainbow, ratbag), the track is built around a sample from Glenn Gould’s iconic recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. One of the most celebrated classical pianists of the modern era, Gould was renowned for his surgical precision and expressive performances, where he was known to hum and shout during recitals. This nod to Gould’s spirit felt like a fitting starting point for a song about creativity, inspiration and reclaiming confidence over your own life.
Restless and schizophrenic, “Piano” is a statement of intent for Year Of The Snake: more focused, muscular and experimental, while retaining the chaotic and playful energy that has become synonymous with his work, “Piano” arrives alongside a psychedelic visual co-directed by Nick and his longtime collaborator Charles Buxton Leslie drawing from their interest in late '60s surrealism and the dreamy, psychedelic playfulness of Fellini and Jacques Tati.
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Year Of The Snake takes its title from Ward’s birth year, 2001 - the Year of the Metal Snake - and the Chinese Zodiac belief that a zodiac year can bring profound change. Following the release and touring cycle for House With The Blue Door, Ward found himself in a period of personal upheaval, loss, relationship breakdowns and a deepening isolation from his peers. Rather than simply wallow in that darkness, Year Of The Snake became an attempt to move through it – music-making as an act of survival. Its loose thematic thread draws from the myth of Orpheus, whose journey into the underworld became a parallel for Ward in his personal life – learning to let go of what no longer served him and find a way forward. “I didn’t want to make a depressing album wallowing about what it’s like to be alive right now,”says Ward. “I wanted to make a record that felt like a warm hand on the shoulder or a pep talk, without being naive to the darker shades of life. These are difficult years that we’re experiencing and I wanted to make something that feels like a salve to that.” Conceived between Auckland and Sydney with contributions from Timon Martin, Kody Nielson, 1tbsp, Simon Lam (Armlock), Lucian Rice, Tony Buchen, Kirin J Callinan and Phoebe Go, Year Of The Snake is a more focused evolution of Ward’s sound. A step forward from previous work, Year Of The Snake is upbeat, concise, psychedelic and muscular, with greater emphasis on live, organic instrumentation and studio experimentation. The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Animal Collective, Geordie Greep and Fiona Apple were key inspirations for Ward throughout its creation. "Year of The Snake feels like the first fully realised Nick Ward record", says Ward. "My first album was made almost completely in my bedroom, so this was my first time building something from scratch on a larger scale, trying all the things I dreamed about as a teenager like working with session musicians, doing live improvised jams and recording analogue to tape. It feels like a step forward closer to the artist I want to be“
“Piano” marks the beginning of Year Of The Snake - a record that sees Nick Ward emerge from a period of profound change, shedding his skin with his most focused and ambitious work to date. |
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