Nick Ward reflects on his adolescence with upcoming debut album, 'House With The Blue Door'
The album explores themes of family, childhood, and the past, inspired by Hilma af Klint's paintings.
Nick Ward has announced his debut album, 'House With The Blue Door'.
The full-length is set for release on 4th October, ahead of his support tour with Troye Sivan. Alongside the announcement, Ward has shared the new single 'All Your Life', which explores themes of nostalgia, bittersweet endings, and grappling with depression.
The album, completed just before Ward's 22nd birthday, was inspired by an exhibition of Hilma af Klint's 'The Ten Largest' (1907) paintings in Sydney.
"It's about family, childhood, and the difficult relationship we have with the past," Ward says of the album. "I think your early-twenties is about coming to terms with your childhood, especially after finishing high school and experiencing more of the world. Starting therapy really made me realise how much emotional baggage I was holding onto, and this record was made while I was unpacking all of that.
The music video for 'All Your Life' was co-directed and edited by Ward and his twin brother Tom, using super 8 footage from the 1950s and 60s, filmed by their grandparents in Malaysia and Perth, Australia. "When I was 10, I made my first film using family photographs on iPhoto with a Foo Fighters song, which sparked my interest in filmmaking. Ten years later, after our grandma passed away, we found a suitcase of unseen photographs and super 8 footage filmed by our grandfather during their journey from Malaysia to Australia, which we used in the 'All Your Life' music video and album cover."
He continues, "'I really hope you're happy all your life' reminded me of scenes in movies where characters said farewell – never to meet again – but still wished the other person a happy rest of their life. As someone who struggles with their mental health, those words felt like an impossible idea to live up to, but something to chase anyway. I've never consciously made 'sad' or 'happy' music, but I'm proud to call this my most life-affirming song."
Tom Ward adds, "Working on this video was an emotional experience, as it allowed us to see our Dad through our grandfather's eyes, capturing fleeting family moments. There's something universal in this, especially now with the pressure to both capture everything and be present."
Ward also has his first UK and EU shows coming up, including a date at All Points East, and headline shows at The George Tavern in London and Paradiso in Amsterdam this August.
The dates in full read:
AUGUST
21 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
22 The George Tavern, London, UK
23 All Points East, London, UK
OCTOBER
14-20 SXSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
NOVEMBER
19 The Drive, Adelaide, Australia*
21 Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia*
26 Riverstage, Brisbane, Australia*
28 Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney, Australia*
DECEMBER
2 Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand*
*supporting Troye Sivan
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