Celebrated British-Lebanese songwriter NADINE KHOURI has returned with a brand new 3-track EP ‘A New Dawn’ to be released on October 26th.
Self-produced and recorded in London in between touring commitments, Khouri’s latest offering ‘A New Dawn’ was mixed by Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Julien Baker) and is a powerful return from her acclaimed debut. The beautifully arranged EP highlights Khouri’s talent for creating songs that feel both vast and intimate, while her warm, singular vocal takes centre-stage with poetic lyrics set against blissful atmospheric soundscapes.
The title track ‘A New Dawn’, which premiered last month, opens with droning harmonium, cascades of tremolo guitar and mermaid-like backing vocals. If ‘The Salted Air’ were an allegory for displacement and a journey at sea, in ‘A New Dawn’ Khouri has found the shore and displays a quiet, newfound confidence.
An early devotee of shoegaze and the dreamy melancholia of bands such as Mazzy Star and Low, Khouri began her career as an acoustic singer-songwriter in New York, self-releasing her first EP ‘A Song to the City’. A mix of folk and atmospheric indie-rock, her material ranged in influence from Leonard Cohen to dream-pop. Returning to London, she eventually crossed paths with legendary producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, This is the Kit) and began writing songs for what would become her LP, ‘The Salted Air’, released early last year. The album earned plaudits from the likes of MOJO and Drowned In Sound, was celebrated by Q (Feb 2017 Critics Choice) and selected as one of Rough Trade’s Albums of the Year 2017. In the past year, Khouri has toured the UK and Europe and has shared the stage with artists such as Low, John Parish, Aldous Harding, Howe Gelb, Adrian Crowley, and many more.
Khouri has also premiered a touching tribute this weekend to the late, great Mark Linkous (of Sparklehorse) after his death eight years ago. Recorded on the back of a tour with Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley, Khouri shares her admiration for Linkous’ work:
“I still remember the first time I heard Sparklehorse as a kid. I was completely arrested by the music and it was unlike any I’d ever heard. Mark had beautiful songs of course – from the raucous to the most delicate – and yet it always felt like a privilege being allowed into his musical world…. I was touring with my friend Adrian Crowley earlier this year and he had a Mellotron with him on the road. It came up that we were both huge fans (Linkous played Mellotron on many of his recordings) so we played ‘Spirit Ditch’ a few times on tour… His music had a huge influence on us both. I hope people will continue to discover and honour his work.”
Khouri will be performing songs from ‘A New Dawn’ on her UK dates next month.
Live Dates:
17.10.18 – The Hug & Pint, Glasgow
18.10.18 – Smithdown Social Club, Liverpool
19.10.18 – Hoxton Hall, London
20.10.18 – The Louisiana, Bristol
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