On a recent summer afternoon, the gothic folk bard Marissa Nadler found herself discussing the finer points of the apocalypse inside of a Wawa somewhere in Virginia. She and her band were southbound, en route to North Carolina. You could feel the July heat crackling through the phone behind Nadler’s voice, a bit worn but holding on strong (thanks to Throat Coat tea and a daily regimen of vocal warm-up exercises).
Marissa Nadler, who’s been forging devastating, deliriously beautiful tunes for over 10 years, notes that this is the first time in a long time she’s toured with a full band, as opposed to performing solo. “Our last record, July, was really the pinnacle of a certain style of music and songwriting, and I wanted to challenge myself to break through the sound that I’d created for myself,” she says. “And you know, I wanted to also not stand up onstage alone and tour alone anymore.” It’s also her first time playing lead guitar and shredding onstage, something she says is a highlight of every night.
On her latest album, the dreary and ephemeral Strangers, Nadler circles the fleeting nature of life and its unexpected discontents, including the dissolution and rebuilding of friendships. “So many fair-weathered friends / problem is when the weather ends,” she croons on the swelling “Katie I Know.” While she’s adept at exploring harsh realities in her music, Marissa Nadler is also a dreamer, of sorts. Just not exactly when you’d expect. “I daydream a lot, though I wish I remembered my dreams,” she says. “But I think life is full of enough horrifying details.”
Today, Nadler is premiering the stunning track “The Best You Ever Had” with CLRVYNT. The song is a cut from her forthcoming Bury Your Name (out September 23rd on Sacred Bones Records ) its a collection of Strangers-era songs originally limited to a cassette release. Check out the song, our conversation and tour dates below.
Speaking of solitary songs, there is a cover you do of Black Sabbath’s “Solitude” on this album .
I really like that one. It’s my favorite cover I’ve ever done, by far, because I recorded it myself. It’s the first time I played lead guitar on anything. at home we were listening to that record a lot. And every time we listened to that song, I thought, “Ah, this is so pretty. I’d love to do a cover of it.” It was just a really natural fit. The melody is so pretty. Obviously, I tend to favor the downtempo songs, I think. It’s kind of a ballad and very beautiful.
The Fat Angel Sings 