nelly in a dream
When I was writing the songs I thought might become the record Cosmovisión, I felt like a cup spilling over. At a certain point, ideas and themes were crashing into each other, conjoining, separating, expanding. It was cacophony, sometimes excruciating, and I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear part of something I was working through on repeat in my mind. Sleep was crucial, it’s where I felt the real work was being done.
Not everything you write for a record makes the cut, and sometimes it doesn’t even make the list for getting studio time — that was the case for my new single, “Nelly in a Dream.” To me, it belongs firmly with the other songs on Cosmovisión, but it wasn’t ready for that session. Which is why, when Brian Deck asked me if I wanted to work on something else last summer after we finished the record, this was one of the songs I sent him. Just me and the guitar, no adornment or arrangement, the opposite of what I had done for the other songs.
Luckily, Brian is great at what he does, and has been doing it for a long time. And since I came to the Cosmovisión session with the record pretty much fully formed, I wanted to work on something where things felt more equal in terms of vision (pun hugely intended). It’s a hard thing to do because this shit is extremely vulnerable!!!!! I have to trust the people I’m giving my work to, especially at a stage where the idea is nascent. It is fragile, as am I!
We worked on this song piecemeal, doing some preproduction, rehearsal, and vibe staging before working at Narwhal and bringing Brenden Cabrera in to play keys and synths, and then after getting the main structure of the track done we did some overdubs at our respective homes and just sent them back and forth over email until we felt like we were happy with it. And so! Please enjoy:
Photo by Maren Celest
last show of 2025!
This Saturday at Schubas! The vibe is fun, the vibe is party. Or at least that’s what I’m channeling! Emily Jane Powers kicks it off at 8 pm, HG band will play at 9 pm.
