A young couple comes together and then unravels amid empty wine bottles and cigarette smoke in the affecting video for Nadine Shah’s “Dreary Town.” The singer-songwriter's critically acclaimed debut EP Aching Bones was produced by Blur- and Depeche Mode-collaborator Ben Hillier, and today’s premiere comes just days after the her performance in a sold-out showcase of the best emerging talent at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The intimate Matthew Barton-directed film was shot in Shah’s brother’s flat and features her real-life friends—except for the expressive male lead, performed by actor Gareth Murphy. “I was dreading the kissing scenes,” says the musician. “But after a few whiskeys, I came around to the idea. In fact, I may have been a bit too enthusiastic!” Raised alongside the dramatic cliffs of England’s North East coast by her Norwegian mother and Pakistani father, Shah counts Scott Walker, Nina Simone and Maria Callas among her vocal influences and says “Dreary Town” is written from her own experiences. Having spoken to listeners, she says, “it seems the theme is one a lot of people can project their own story on to.”
Nadine Shah's “Dreary Town” EP will be released by the R&S imprint Apollo Records on April 15. Her debut full-length album Love Your Dumb and Mad is due out this summer 2013.