Celebrated Texas singer-songwriter Israel Nash releases “Roman Candle”, the latest single from the brand new album titled ‘Ozarker‘ to be released on the 20 October.
“Roman Candle” follows the release of the album’s title track, a song that is the subject of the launch of Nash’s ‘Beyond The Song‘ series, a rich, documentary-style collection dedicated to the stories and characters that inspire and shape the forthcoming album.
Recorded with producer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne), Nash’s new collection is an ode to his roots. It’s a meditation on love and family, on the beauty and the pain we pass down through generations, on the ties that bind us through good times and bad. The music here harkens back to the heartland rock that Nash grew up on — Petty, Springsteen, Seger. The lyrics are cinematic; painting captivating portraits of everyday men and women doing their best to get by with dignity and self-respect. Nash says: “I think the reason so much of that classic heartland rock and roll endures is because it touches on themes we all feel so deeply: desire, struggle, commitment, 
escape. As an artist, I’m always aspiring to touch as many people as possible, and that’s what this music has always represented for me.” He explains: “I was born and raised in small-town Missouri. All the people and the stories and the music that shaped me come from that part of the country, and I could feel it calling back to me on this album.”
Inspired to learn more about his ancestry, Nash reached out to his mother, who began filling pages with her recollections of generations of Ozarkers. Rather than write the album at home in his studio, Nash decamped to nearby Wimberley, Texas, where he rented a house on the Blanco River and got to work with just a guitar, an old Casio keyboard, a vintage drum machine, and a four-track tape recorder. The idea was to force himself to stay simple and honest, to avoid falling into routines, or getting lost in the gear, and to instead write with the urgency and intention the songs demanded.
‘Ozarker‘ presents honest, intimate snapshots of its subjects, resisting the urge to romanticise the past and never losing sight of the humanity at the heart of it all.
“No matter where you come from or where you go, you’ll always carry your past with you,” Nash reflects. “The people, the places, the stories, that’s what makes you you.”
Subscribe to Israel Nash’s brand new online community on Substack, ‘Cosmic Eagle’, which features brand new music, unreleased songs, special guest appearances, road stories and more HERE.
ISRAEL NASH – NEW SINGLE: “ROMAN CANDLE”
STREAM ON YOUTUBE HERE
NEW ALBUM: ‘OZARKER’
AVAILABLE VIA LOOSE MUSIC ON 20 OCTOBER
PRE-ORDER/SAVE HERE
Photo Credit: Chad Wadsworth
