Nico Hedley premieres “Waking Dreams”

Nico Hedley announces a new album, Painterly, out September 3rd via Whatever’s Clever. The first single “Waking Dreams” proves that you can make country record in New York City. With lush instrumentation and Nico’s introspective lyrics, it’s a fresh-sounding spin on classical countrypolitan. Personnel includes Ryan El-Solh on guitar, Carmen Rothwell on double bass, Jeff Widner on drums, and Adam Robinson on horns. Drew Citron adds backing vocals on this particular track.

The songs on Painterly were sparked by unsparing self-reflection. Sometimes they took the initial form of a sticky melody, a punchy one-liner, or an uncomfortable memory Hedley couldn’t push aside. In an effort to push beyond writing “confessionally,” however, the Queens-based singer-songwriter and prolific bassist trusted in cryptic signals from the broader world to elevate his intimate sketches beyond himself, and in the world of Painterly, there is no respite from moving forward—often, away from others—in that constant attempt to re-access something within ourselves that always seems in danger of being lost.

“Waking Dreams,” the album’s lead single, exists sonically between the countrypolitan lamentations of George Jones and the maximalist indie rock of Destroyer. It is at once hopeless and triumphant — a manic plea for a sense of place wreathed in swirling saxophone and telecaster twang.

Specifically, it’s a song about dealing with depression, the ways we pretend to be okay for the benefit of others, and how we struggle to keep our heads above the malignant nostalgia that seeps into everything as we get older.

Pre-order Painterly on Bandcamp.