Hannah Mohan’s Time Is a Walnut LP is her first after leading indie-pop forebears And the Kids for a decade, and today she’s sharing a new song from it called “Hell,” which features Lady Lamb. Co-written and produced by Alex Toth from Rubblebucket, the track begins with smooth acoustic guitar melodies and Mohan’s stunning voice. The vocalist laments how she can’t get out of bed without a cigarette, before muted drums and subtle piano chords lead to the gut-punch of a chorus: “Hell is a real / Place I have been to.”
“It’s about the notion that hell can be our minds, our situations, our reactions to situations,” Mohan shares regarding the track. “Perhaps at one point in everyone’s life, we have graced a season of hell, and while this song was not written about hell on Earth, it’s extremely important to note that people are actually living in actual hell on Earth right now in Gaza. For the love of god I call for an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Rafah crossing to allow the entry of life-saving aid and the safe passage of displaced Palestinians.”
The powerful accompanying visual features Mohan collaged against a rotating backdrop, including images of waterfalls, soundstages, and sepia-tinted prairies. Check it out below, and pre-order Time Is a Walnut, out on July 12 via Egghunt Records, here.