Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath
Thank God Nadine Shah is back, not least because she’s one of the more likeable and interesting characters in music but also because, in the years since 2020’s Kitchen Sink, the singer has been through challenging times.
With characteristic bravery and honesty, many of them are documented on this fifth album Filthy Underneath, on which she turns tragedy into triumph.
One can hope that everything has been laid bare, for the subjects covered are done so with ruthless honesty. Closing track ‘French Exit’, which evolved into a song from entries in Nadine Shah’s journal, outlines the thought process before a suicide attempt.
Impassive, morse code synths are the backing music to a seemingly inane monologue (‘Pizza box lid when I couldn’t find paper, wine was fancy) before the road becomes clear: ‘A quiet little way out, nothing explicit’.
Gently haunting without being oppressive, the understated nature of the text is quietly devastating, the pulsing bass signifying anxiety while the synths invoke desperation.