Nell Smith's posthumous debut album Anxious announced, along with release of title track

Nell Smith's debut solo album Anxious is set to be released by Bella Union on April 11. To accompany the announcement Bella Union has also shared the LP’s title track 'Anxious’.

Last year, Nell Smith tragically passed away at 17 in a car accident. At the time she was preparing to release Anxious. Jack and Lily Wolter subsequently completed these songs and the rest of the works in Brighton in 2023, some of which had been in the works since Nell was twelve years old.

Nell’s record also includes three songs which were written in partnership with Canadian folk band Shred Kelly in 2022.

Anxious follows Where the Viaduct Looms, her 2021 debut collaboration with The Flaming Lips that explored the works of Nick Cave.

"It is still very painful when I realize Nell is gone”, says The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne.

“I keep thinking I’ll check my text messages from her. I’m sure she has a new drawing or new piece of a song or a new photo of her cat… and then I remember she is gone.

"Now when I’m listening to her singing these songs there is a brief fantastical joy. Her voice hits the ear, the ear tells brain this is the sound of love, the brain lets the mind fly through the billions of connections it has with Nell’s life... but as it flies it also flies to her death... there is something holy that happens now.”

Additionally, Nell’s family has announced the creation of the Nell Smith Memorial Fund to honour her legacy and support emerging musicians. The fund aims to raise $100,000 and award $10,000 every year for ten years with profits from the release going directly into the fund’s corpus

Anxious artwork and tracklist: