Name: Friends With Monsters
Brand: Nishla Smith

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

WR4780LP

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Colour

pink

Colour details

Pink Marble Vinyl

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Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-08-26

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Proper

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

655498297939

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2 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / pink

WR4780ZN

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Download code: No

Extended format: Yes

Includes 32 page 'zine with lyrics / photos.

2021-11-12

655498298028

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1 / CD / Extended format: Yes / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

WR4780

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "WR4780"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

2022-09-02

655498297922

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Nishla Smith

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Whirlwind Recordings

Singer Nishla Smith creates vivid, enigmatic stories through sound, her voice stretching from melancholic sweetness through to dark intimacy. Her debut album Friends With Monsters confirms Smith as a major new vocal talent and sees the vocalist's affinity for inventive narratives extended over the span of a full album.

The Australian performer travelled via Berlin to eventually settle in Manchester and is joined here by some of the city's most talented improvisers. Richard Jones and Johnny Hunter cover piano and drums respectively, whilst bassist Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley and trumpeter Aaron Wood add graceful touches to complete the quintet's intimate feel. Smith's depictions of night-time have an enigmatic quality, inviting listeners on an atmospheric journey but all the while pointing to something greater.

Smith's work moves swiftly through genres, driven by her unique artistry. A City Music Foundation artist, she has received commissions from Manchester Collective and Opera North, as well as Manchester Jazz Festival and Jazz North. As co-creator of theatre company Ulita, she also creates collaborative pieces that blend theatre, music and visual arts. Friends With Monsters continues that theatrical drive - "I'm a very natural storyteller, I just love to tell stories. I find myself weaving everyday events into tales that are very narratively pleasing."

Set over the course of a single evening, Friends With Monsters explores changing states of insomnia, informed by Smith's own sleepless nights. It's realised in four distinct sections; each is introduced by a scene-setting interlude. Delving deeper into the dreamy world of Smith's storyland rewards greatly.

2CD format comes in a glassine, stickered bag containing CD and 32-page zine featuring lyrics, still images and a personal note from Nishla.