It’s been more than six years since English singer/songwriter Kate Nash has been in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. But next Thursday, October 10th, the MySpace-era artist kicks off her North America Fall 2024 tour at the Music Hall at World Café Live, her first appearance at the University City venue since 2008, when she played a WXPN Free At Noon one day prior to her show at The Trocadero for the Made of Bricks Tour… Kate Nash has a very special place in my heart: She’s the first singer/songwriter I was ever a fan of who was younger than myself, she’s the only artist with as many releases that I’ve ever officially covered on every album cycle, and she holds my top spot for all currently active and touring acts… behind Morrissey and Belle & Sebastian. To celebrate Kate’s return to the 215, I’ve decided to revisit and rank each of her five full-lengths, including her latest, 9 Sad Symphonies, which dropped this June. And while many Millennials remember Ms. Nash primarily (if not exclusively) for her 2007 debut (and “Foundations,” in particular), each of her LPs are pretty amazing, and well worth many listens.
5. Girl Talk (2013)
For Kate Nash’s third LP, she dove head-first into punk rock. Inspired by the arrest and imprisoning of our phriends in Pussy Riot, Nash churned out 15 tracks of 21st Century riot grrrl, which we certainly can’t hate on… However, there were a lot of amazing artists exploring the sounds of our punk rock heroines of the ‘90s at the time (See: The Aquadolls, The Coathangers, Potty Mouth) and, frankly, it was hard not to miss the way that Kate just did pop so fucking perfectly in her early years. However, this touring cycle did provide Kate’s three most iconic Philadelphia performances: a hyper-intimate solo set at MilkBoy, her sweatiest and punk rock-est show ever at Johnny Brenda’s, and a full-on anti-spectacle at Union Transfer, which had Ms. Nash taking the stage to the trailer of Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! in a sheer bodysuit, before proceeding to navigate her way through (and atop the hands of) the audience barefoot… It fucking ruled.
4. Yesterday Was Forever (2018)
Shortly after the Made of Bricks 10th Anniversary Tour, Kate made a bit of a return to pop music, but with the maturity of someone who had stepped out of the genre for a minute or so. During a 2018 chat, Nash describes the album to me as, “Going back to my pop roots, but with the confidence of doing Girl Talk and having 11-12 years of doing this,” before telling me that M.I.A., Alicia Keys, The Velvet Underground, and country have provided some of her most significant recent influences. The album includes “Life In Pink,” a live staple and one of the most impressive entries in Kate’s catalogue, blending bubblegum delectability with the most sing-along-able kind of ‘90s teen angst.
3. 9 Sad Symphonies (2024)
On her fifth full-length, we’re formally introduced to Baroque Kate. The LP is the singer/songwriter’s first for Kill Rock Stars, the Mecca of riot grrrl, and it’s her best in well over a decade. The pandemic-penned LP, which serves largely as a commentary on the music industry (in addition to a thirtysomething Kate’s take on love und romance), which she’s now been in for two decades. 9 Sad Symphonies takes inspiration from 2022 Off-Broadway production Only Gold, for which Nash both scored and starred, although in a manner that could hardly be considered cliched or even expected. While filled with string arrangements inspired by Classic Hollywood, Nash proudly embraces the lyrical sass and snark that charmed our cynical little hearts in the first place.
2. Made of Bricks (2007)
Regardless of the beauty and brilliance of their catalogues to come, it’s hard to not remain most entranced by the album that made us fall in love with an artist in the first place. At the height of what we now call indie sleaze, Kate Nash proved to be music’s definitive manic pixie dream girl. Her debut, the piano pop masterpiece of the century, is comprised of some of the most shit-talkingly honest heartbreak songs of recent history, heartwarming odes to aliens of all sorts, and a handful of self-aware-ly silly pop tunes that even managed to win over hipsters of the era, and we’re beyond grateful that songs like “Mouthwash,” “Birds,” and “Dickhead” still make their way into nearly every live show.
1. My Best Friend Is You (2010)
The follow-up to her smash hit debut earned Kate as much division between listeners as is appropriate for the classic “sophomore album.” While some fans were disappointed by the lack of instant-singles of the current pop persuasion offered by LP #1, many critics appreciated the artist stepping into the realm of a matured singer/songwriter, nodding to tried-and-true record nerd subgenres. Her sounds evolved from tween to twee, which is never more apparent than on “Don’t You Want to Share the Guilt?” Singles “Kiss That Grrrl” and “Do-Wah-Doo” are girl-group perfection. And “I Just Love You More” boasts a beautiful chaos that I once described as sounding like, “the lovechild of Robert Smith and Bjork.” It’s 49 minutes of wall-to-wall bangers and an album that I reprimand myself for not listening to every single day of my life.
*Get your tickets here.
**Listen to Joey O.’s recent chat with Kate Nash for Y-Not Radio (home of Philthy Radio) here.