Anxious

 

I only discovered Nell and her music in mid-December last year and wrote about that in this blog.​ In a unique and slightly surreal way, I have been looking forward to this album, but also dreading it. I kind of knew it would be good (and it is!) and I also kind of knew the sense of heartbreak that it would bring.

Smith tragically died in a car accident in October 2024. Nell was only 17 years old. I can only imagine the songs she would have gone on to write and sing, the shows she would play and the joy she would bring to people, the kids she would inspire.

However, like Nell's family, friends and record label, those that discover her music and talent have to cherish the fact that she did get to record some wonderful songs and that this album has been released.

Posthumous albums often carry a heavy emotional weight, but Anxious, the debut from 17-year-old Nell Smith, is uniquely devastating. Released on April 11, 2025, via Bella Union, the album offers a luminous glimpse into a young artist whose voice was silenced far too early.

Nell's 2021 collaboration with The Flaming Lips, Where The Viaduct Looms, reimagined Nick Cave’s songs through her youthful lens. With Anxious, she steps into her own spotlight, revealing a songwriting voice and talent that’s both playful and profound. Anxious is Nell's real debut album. Released on April 11, 2025, via Bella Union, the album offers a luminous glimpse into a young artist whose voice was silenced far too early.

A young Nell with Wayne Coyne

The album was produced by Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles, who worked closely with Nell in Brighton. Some of the songs date back to when she was just 12 years old. The sessions were fueled by Doritos, fizzy sweets, Coca-Cola, and the thrill of sneaking into local gigs for inspiration. The result is a psychedelic indie-pop record that captures the emotional turbulence of adolescence with startling clarity.​

The title track, Anxious sets the tone with a whimsical yet raw take on teenage angst, reflecting on the isolation of growing up during a pandemic. Bubba finds joy in grief, while Boy in a Bubble is a slice of psychedelic pop, a thank you note to mentor Wayne Coyne.

Billions of People (my immediate and current favourite) and Daisy Fields shimmer with inventive pop experimentation.

The chorus into the bridge on Billions of People is devastatingly emotional. Oooft! 7.92 billion people and I'd choose you - now that's a line!

And if I was in a room full of people I'd never met, I'd look for you

And if I was feeling blue and upset, I'd call out for you

7.92 billion people and I'd choose you

Three tracks were co-written with Canadian folk band Shred Kelly during cozy winter evenings in her hometown of Fernie, British Columbia, in 2022. These collaborations, later completed in Brighton, add warmth and intimacy to the album’s sonic palette.

A few words of praise from other reviews;

​AllMusic called it “a poignant, eloquent peek into teenage girlhood” 

Consequence described it as “an upbeat slice of psych-pop in which Smith expresses her love of music as a way to cope with anxiety.” 

Spin noted the album’s “bright, ‘Why not?’ energy of experimentation,” likening it to “Regina Spektor fronting The Flaming Lips.” ​

 I've donated $20 to the Nell Smith Memorial Fund, established by her family in memory of Nell to support emerging musicians. The fund,  aims to raise $100,000, awarding $10,000 annually over ten years, with profits from Anxious contributing directly to this initiative. 

Nell Smith and Anxious will leave a mark and her life, music and talent will be celebrated and discovered by many for a long, long time to come.

Nell Smith

On Saturday morning I fancied listening to The Flaming Lips in the shower! Too much info perhaps! I selected Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1 and sang along, thinking that I really should get tickets to go and see them in Edinburgh in May.

Spotify algorithms kicked in and afterwards I heard a song that I had never heard before. It sounded really beautiful; haunting piano over warm chords, a vocal that was dreamy and wracked with emotion, drenched in reverb and just sounding supremely cool. I picked up my phone and discovered this was a singer called Nell Smith who had recorded and released an album, Where The Viaduct Looms, in collaboration with The Flaming Lips. The song was Into My Arms.

Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips - Into My Arms (video)

I immediately sent the song to my sister who also checked it out and sent a one word reply simply saying - gorgeous. I didn't get a chance to listen to the album that day, but returned to it on Sunday morning and decided to find out who Nell Smith was and how this collaboration came about. The album completely passed me by at the time. This kind of thing can happen with The Flaming Lips who are pretty prolific and some of their releases can fly under the radar.

My heart broke as I scrolled down and read 'Nell was a singer songwriter based in Fernie, BC. She was tragically killed in a car accident on October 6 2024.'

I was moved to tears as Nell's music played and I learned that she was only 17.  

FUCK!

I learned that Nell had fallen for The Flaming Lips and ended up meeting the band. Wayne became friends with Nell and her family, eventually suggesting she record some Nick Cave songs, as she had never heard his music, so had no pre-conceived ideas as to how to sing the songs.

Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips - The Ship Song (video)

Where The Viaduct Looms is the result of that recording. It's truly gorgeous and beautifully cool. A  posthumous album will be released next year. 

Please find some further information about Nell from Bella Union and her own website.

What a tragic loss. Thoughts go out to Nell's family and friends.

From Nell's website

Nell was listening to music before she was born.

Born in Leeds, UK, in 2007, Nell listened to music in utero following her mother’s plan which was to give her familiar sounds once she was born to aid her to settle more easily.

As she grew, she was attracted to music and quickly developed an interest in artists including Herman Dune, Arcade Fire, Metronomy, The Flaming Lips, David Bowie, The Fleet Foxes, and MGMT. Attending festivals with her family, Nell experienced live music from the age of 2 and grew more and more interested.

After moving to Canada in 2012, Nell gravitated towards The Flaming Lips and eventually saw them in Spokane in 2017 aged 10, bursting into tears of joy when she saw the tickets. She watched the show from the front row with her brother. 

Fast forward to 2018 and Nell was again at a Lips show, tenacious and determined, she managed to get a letter onto the tour bus and her yelling from the side of the stage prior to the show caught the attention of Wayne Coyne who came and said hi. Following Nell’s prompt, he went on the bus and found the letter.

A duet through the space bubble while Wayne sang David Bowie’s Space Oddity created a connection, and Wayne maintained contact with Nell’s parents as she learned to play guitar.

Nell started performing live at the age of 11, playing alongside established musicians and writing her own songs.

In 2020 Nell recorded an album of Nick Cave cover versions under the tutelage of Wayne Coyne.

Where the Viaduct Looms was released on November 26, 2021 on Bella Union and can be ordered here.

This work will be followed by an album release worked on in conjunction with Penelope Isles with some songs co-written with Shred Kelly.

The album is due out in Spring 2025 and sadly is a posthumous release following Nell’s untimely death in a car accident on October 6 2024.

Nell’s memory will live on through a memorial fund set up in her name. To contribute please purchase her upcoming album, donate to the fund’s Gofundme or purchase something from the shop.

From the Bella Union website

This inspiring and heartwarming story begin when Smith first met Wayne Coyne at the age of 12 at The Flaming Lips’ headline show at the Sled Island Festival, Calgary, in 2018 with her family. Nell had already attended several Lips shows and was a regular at the front of the stage, dressed in a parrot costume and screaming out the band’s songs. Coyne soon began to notice the kid in the parrot suit and sang a David Bowie cover directly to her at the show in Calgary, with Nell singing every word back.

A musical bond formed with Coyne staying in contact with Nell and her father Jude as she learned to play guitar, while their creative relationship began to flourish when she started to write her own songs.

When a planned trip to record with the band in Oklahoma had to be cancelled due to covid Coyne suggested Nell record some Nick Cave songs and email them to Oklahoma to be backed by the band. Coyne chose Nick Cave because Nell didn’t know him and wouldn’t have preconceived notions as to how to sing the songs.