“The time of the lone wolf is done” is the first totemic lyric from Mercury Prize-nominated Nick Mulvey’s new single “Star Nation,” an immediate call to personal and environmental action, and a microscope into the transformative journey Nick has gone on over the five years since his critically acclaimed second record Wake Up Now. “Star Nation” is both a tender and stark beginning, which comments on the individualistic human systems that have caused climate change, with a stunning video directed by photographer Kate Bellm in Mallorca, Spain. The song sets the scene for Mulvey’s third album, New Mythology, to be released June 10 (Fiction Records). New Mythology is an album that centers on “interbeing”; a collection of songs that meets this moment in time head-on and shows Mulvey’s exceptional talent for putting complex, philosophical ideas into three-minute songs.
To arrive at this album, the acclaimed artist and songwriter has come a long way – both experientially and philosophically. A founding member of the award-winning British collective Portico Quartet, he left in 2011 to concentrate on his own material. Once solo, he released the Mercury Prize-nominated debut album First Mind in 2014, and 2017’s celebrated Wake Up Now, along with a number of EPs, becoming known for his modern take on folk and being called a nomadic troubadour, with influences from the changing landscapes around him. On New Mythology, humanity and the natural world are enmeshed, showing the vulnerability of the everyday human experience; in this case becoming a father and navigating the pandemic, but also his journey to compute the scope and scale of his feelings: an attempt to embody the personal all the way to the planetary – and grasp their true inseparability. Early renditions of ”Star Nation” and “Begin Again” - released during the pandemic - both sow the seeds of this interconnected space.
New Mythology was written during the pandemic, and recorded with renowned producer Renaud Letang [Manu Chao, Feist, Connan Mockasin] at Studio Ferber in Paris – which miraculously remained open. Daytimes were rigorous with arranging and recording sessions, while evenings were spent alone in hotel isolation. Nick also credits all of those who have helped him arrive at this point: his friends and family, teachers past and present, including mentors like the Polynesian ambassador and elder Aunty Ivy. and Thomas Berry’s collection of essays, as well as Mac Macartney’s book The Children’s Fire. Now, Mulvey finds himself at the precipice of change, and is ready to share his message with the world.