“Beautifully written, recorded, produced and arranged… all complimented by vocal that lives up to the same standard. No cheating, no fronting, just honest crafted musicality” ~ Billy Gould (Faith No More)
“Kanda Teenage Honey is shockingly emotional, thoughtfully orchestrated and wonderfully curious lyrically. It is a record for true music lovers” ~ Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu)
“A profound, clever and vividly confessional Avant-pop composer, Hudson is always pushing the envelope in his works, his unique musical output forged via musical territory that is hardly explored” ~ The Spill Magazine
“There isn’t really anyone making music like Nick Hudson“ ~ The Quietus
“A unique talent. His song writing and performances are breathtaking. He is long overdue being heard by a wider audience. This solo album is a peak in an already stellar career” ~ Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai)
“Scott Walker channeling Coil” ~ MOJO Magazine
“Genius” – BBC Radio (BBC Introducing)
Brighton experimental artist Nick Hudson presents ‘Catherine in the Curate’s Garden’, the latest audio-visual offering from his album ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’, an expansive 16-track collection recorded in a former Soviet movie studio in Georgia in the build-up to the country’s current unrest, an explosive combination of circumstances that recently earned him coverage in Billboard.
“Originally, ‘Catherine In The Curate’s Garden’ was a folk song, written eight years ago when I was living in an industrial unit on the south coast of England. It never sat comfortably in those rustic garments and while writing ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’ it made itself known as a simmering, swampy, gothic art rock piece. I asked my friend Stuart Dahlquist of Asva/Sunn O))) and Burning Witch to grace it with his inimitable bass tone and we subjected the drums to some infernal alchemy,” says Nick Hudson.
“The lyrics narrate the de-martyring of two saints – Sebastiane and Catherine, who shame and dispose of the curate who has judged and condemned them, before conjoining in sexual and romantic ecstasy in a throng of lupine cheerleaders. Call it biblical speculative fiction if you will, with a queered-up slant. This is echoed in the video wherein we recreated a sequence from Carl Dreyer’s vanguard silent film ‘The Passion Of Joan Of Arc’ (1928) – I actually storyboarded this sequence and we shot it frame for frame in a junkyard in Tbilisi, with my Russian gangster rapper friend Tex2ra (yes, a male) as Joan and a host of Pasolinian non-actors cast for their compelling visages and on-screen energies.”
This follows Hudson’s most recent videos for ‘Unspent Youth‘ and ‘Sky Burial While Alive’, featuring a prologue text on dictators, spoken by Alfreda Benge – collaborator and wife of legendary British composer Robert Wyatt. The video was filmed at the Bologna villa used in the Pasolini‘s film ‘Salo’ (itself a notorious and damning critique of fascism) and in Tbilisi with a cast of international performers.
Having earlier previewed the singles ‘For My Silence’ and ‘Khevsureti’, this album was born of geographical explorations amidst musical territory that is hardly touched on. Mixed by and featuring Toby Driver of Kayo Dot, this album involves such luminaries as Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Stuart Dahlquist (Asva, Burning Witch, Sunn O))), Lizzy Carey (Bat For Lashes), Robert Wyatt collaborator Alfreda Benge, Christopher Nell (legendary German performer and collaborator of US theatre visionary Robert Wilson), and soprano prodigy Poppy Efemey.
Recorded with Ilya Lukashev at Leno Studio and Sano Studio in Tbilisi, this album was mastered to analogue tape by Paul Pascoe (Barry Adamson, Beat Hotel, Sleaford Mods) at Church Road Studios in Hove, Hudson collaborates with some incredible Georgian musicians and his friend Seva, a Russian dissident who fled the FSB, having worked for Navalny. Hudson explains, “He contributes a poem narrating his thoughts on exile, through which I’ve layered field recordings of the recent Tbilisi and Paris protests, where many of us got tear-gassed.”
In 2021, Hudson released his ‘Font Of Human Fractures’ album and the ‘K69996ROMA:EP’, following his band The Academy of Sun‘s opus album ‘The Quiet Earth’ in 2020. He has collaborated with such legends as Wayne Hussey (The Mission), Matthew Seligman (David Bowie, Tori Amos, Morrissey), Massive Attack’s Shara Nelson, plus David Tibet (Current 93) and queercore icon GB Jones. His vast output also encompasses painting, film and a novel.
‘Kanda Teenage Honey’ is out now everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Also available as a 4-panel CD digipak with an 8-page full colour booklet, it features artwork by Nick Hudson and Berdia Arabuli and photography by Carl Solomon, Jack Hubbell Rosene and Kenneth Anger.
Hudson also recently published his book ‘The Land Exists So The Seas Don’t Argue’, showcasing a decade of lyrical output iplus ephemera with a foreword by renowned Scottish author Chris Kelso.
CREDITS
Composed, arranged and produced by Nick Hudson
Engineered by Ilya Lukashev & Nick Hudson at Leno Studio and Sano Studio, Tbilisi
Steinway recorded by Ilya Lukashev & George Gvarjaladze at Leno Studios, Tbilisi
Mixed by Toby Driver
Mastered to analogue tape by Paul Pascoe, Church Road Studios, Hove
Nick Hudson – organ drone, vocals, field recording manipulation
Stuart Dahlquist – bass
Gigi Koberidze – drums
Kianna Blue – Issa G Thang
Ilia lukashev – drum production, engineering, tom alchemy
Toby Driver – mixing
Paul Pascoe – analogue mastering
Video directed, produced, filmed & edited by Nick Hudson at Junkyard, Tbilisi
starring Text2ra, Jamie Khan, Alfred Veta, Ali Gamrov, Sonya, Gary Mallard, William Sitnin, Nick Hudson. Thanks to Polina Tengelin and all at Junkyard.
Album artwork by Nick Hudson and Gary Mallard
Artist photography by @_Carl_Solomon_
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Keep up with Nick Hudson / The Academy of Sun
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking | Press contact
Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
- How did you come to record ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’ in a former Soviet movie studio in Georgia during a period of political unrest? What inspired you to create this album amidst such circumstances?
- The album features an impressive lineup of contributors, including Toby Driver (Kayo Dot), Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), and Lizzy Carey (Bat for Lashes). How did these collaborations come about, and what did they bring to the creative process?
- Your music explores a unique territory that’s barely touched. Can you talk about your inspirations and influences in shaping this sound, and how you’ve managed to carve out your own niche within the experimental pop genre?
- ‘Catherine in the Curate’s Garden’ is an audio-visual offering that adds another layer of depth to the album. How did you come up with the concept for this video, and what role does it play in enhancing the listening experience?
- Recording in a former Soviet movie studio must have provided a unique atmosphere and environment for creating music. Can you share some stories or experiences from those sessions that stand out as particularly memorable?
- The album has already earned you coverage in Billboard, which is quite an achievement. How do you feel about this recognition, and what does it mean to you as an artist?
- ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’ features 16 tracks – a generous and expansive collection. Can you talk about your approach to songwriting and arranging these compositions, and how you decided on the final tracklist?
- You’ve worked with a variety of talented musicians throughout your career. What do you think makes for a successful collaboration, and what have you learned from your experiences working with different artists?
- As an experimental pop artist, how do you stay true to your artistic vision while still connecting with listeners who may not be familiar with this genre? How do you hope people will respond to ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’?