As is likely the case with most of us, Alex Nicol’s life looks much different now than it did in March of 2020, the month in which he released his last album All for Nada. Also like most of us, there was a long period of denial following the major shakeup the COVID pandemic brought with it as Nicol personally lost friends and family members, to say nothing of his employment. Also like many of us, there was a period of growth at the end of this seemingly endless trail of tragedy—which for Nicol involved the realization that he’d been hiding from the exact sort of feelings he could hardly ignore in this moment long before the pandemic struck.
After a few years of sitting with this, the Montreal-based songwriter is returning with a new collection of songs titled Been a Long Year, a five-track EP landing in full on June 30. Leading up to the release he’s sharing the first single and title track, which serves as a proper thesis statement for the full EP. “I wanted to express my frustration at running from my feelings for so long,” he shares. “It felt like the world was crumbling at the same time as I was pretending everything was fine—but I really wasn’t, and I finally expressed it. It feels like one long exhale for me.”
The track itself feels very much like an exhalation, as Nicol’s assured vocals weave into a tapestry of sound that occasionally recalls Andrew Bird in its orchestral swells. Midway into the track you can also hear him harmonizing with Angel Deradoorian, formerly of Dirty Projectors and currently paired with Kate NV as Decisive Pink, among various other group and solo ventures.
Check out a lyric video for the track below, and pre-save the EP here.
