Salim Nourallah has just released a brilliant new album, “A Nuclear Winter,” and the singer-songwriter/producer wows listeners with a little bit of emotional winter in the hot-hot heat of summertime. Joined in the studio by his band, the Treefort 5 (Joe Reyes on electric guitar [Buttercup], John Dufilho on drums [The Deathray Davies/Apples in Stereo], Jason Garner on bass [Polyphonic Spree], and Richard Martin on keyboards [Shibboleth]), and album co-producer, Marty Willson-Piper (formerly of the Australian band The Church), Nourallah shines on this collection of songs, plumbing the depths of a relationship coming apart at the seams. It’s a tremendous listen and one that displays Nourallah’s prowess at penning songs that reach in and grab listeners lyrically and keep them hooked via ear-catching music. Amplify Music Magazine sat down with Nourallah recently to chat about “A Nuclear Winter” in all of its glory.
Hi Salim! You have a terrific new album that just came out June 23rd called “A Nuclear Winter.” Ironic that it is coming out in the summer, perhaps?
Thanks for the props! Yes, it’s especially ironic (or weather inappropriate) in Texas that it’s coming out during the summer. It’s already brutally hot here!
How did these songs come together, and what broad strokes can you tell us about the collection?
The broad strokes involve songs written about a relationship in peril. Some of them were songs I’d written while I was working on my last album, “Somewhere South of Sane.” That record had no drums on it, so I set aside songs I thought I might want drums on that I’d written during that period. “Loved by You” and “I Can’t Take Another Hearbreak” are two obvious examples. Another broad stroke is this record was made with the help of Marty Willson-Piper. He co-produced and also joined our band. He was a very welcome addition to the group!
One of the songs on your new album, “I Don’t Know,” is really great and stood out to me. What can you tell us about this song? What inspired you to write it and what is it about?
“I Don’t Know” was actually one of the last songs I wrote for the record. I thought it had a nice melodic hook built into the verses. The guitars really brought that to the fore on the recording. It also fits in thematically, as the lyrics are definitely rooted in a relationship that might be struggling. I think all of us sometimes have moments where we question where something is going, even if it has predominantly been a positive thing. No situation or relationship is perfect, because human beings aren’t perfect. So this song is all about the question, “Should I stay or should I go?”
What was it like recording this album overall?
It was joyous and easy, until it wasn’t! The first part, where most of the basic tracks were recorded, was easy and fun. We took the band out of our comfort zone in Texas and traveled to Nashville. I amused myself with the notion of making a non-alt-country record there. We spent a super-productive week tracking all the bass and drums and half the electric guitars, then took it back to my studio in Texas to complete it. That’s where we seriously got bogged down. It became a series of setbacks – computer problems, followed by problems with the way the drums were recorded, followed by a worldwide pandemic. It seriously got to the point where I had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. The world was definitely sending me a big, fat NOPE. So the process of completing “A Nuclear Winter” became the biggest slog I’ve ever experienced while trying to complete a record. An additional irony was that I was ultimately working toward making something that wasn’t cluttered and sounded “effortless.”
What was the vibe in the studio, and how did this song, in particular, come together?
The vibe in the studio was great, but it was really only a small fraction of the total experience. Welcome to 1979 in Nashville has a cool, retro atmosphere that everyone loved, and we were able to set the entire band up to play at the same time. That’s always the most enjoyable part of the process. “I Don’t Know” came together fairly quickly because we’d learned it back in Texas during pre-production. It was propelled by Jason Garner’s exciting bassline. There was a lot of wrangling and working out the electric guitar parts later, though. Joe Reyes is in the left speaker and Marty is in the right. I wanted to keep overdubs to a minimum, so their parts really had to be condensed to something that packed a punch.
You have released a lot of music over the years. How has your songwriting changed — both musically and lyrically?
My songwriting process hasn’t changed much, but I’ve found the musicians I’ve worked with over the years have definitely inspired and informed me to head in different directions. When my friendship with Joe Reyes started back in 2009, his style of guitar playing really influenced the songs I was coming up with for the “Hit Parade” record. On the other hand, Nick Earl (The Travoltas) has a completely different way of playing – using pedals and crazy gadgets to make surreal soundscapes. Nick inspired much of the sonics found on “Somewhere South of Sane.” This kind of inspiration continues to be at the foundation of much of what I do musically.
Do different things inspire you now?
I suppose I’m lucky in the respect that I’ve never lacked for inspiration. Life inspires me. Living inspires me. My kids inspire me. People inspire me. My partner inspires me. She’s said so many brilliant things over the past nine years that I’ve written down and inserted into songs. One of the best examples is when she said, “When you’ve survived an emotional apocalypse, even a nuclear winter feels warm.” Look at all the things I ended up doing with that!
Songwriting can be a really personal endeavor. Is it tough to share that stuff that usually might be private if you weren’t writing a song about it?
It’s never been tough for me because songwriting has always ultimately served as a form of self’-therapy for me. It’s a way to get things out instead of stuffing them down inside and letting them fester. It’s always been self-soothing.
Does unveiling the songs publicly, when you release a single or an EP or album, make you anxious or is it cathartic to have the songs out there?
I don’t tend to get anxious about much, so it’s definitely not that kind of feeling. I’d say it’s more cathartic and exciting. It’s especially nice with this collection of songs, because some of them are now over 10 years old, and I haven’t performed any of them until recently. That’s a long time to be living with songs without playing them for others. A few of them have been patiently waiting quite awhile to finally see the light of day. “Loved by You” sat a solid eight years before I ever performed it for anyone, even though I’d known the entire time that it was a good one.
What is the best feedback you’ve ever gotten from a fan about one of your songs?
I think the best things I’ve ever heard from fans involve stories of where they were at a particular moment in their lives when a song of mine impacted them. Flashes from over the years that come to mind include: a man missing home and listening to my music while he was stationed in Antarctica; a girl on a plane soothing her flight anxieties while she landed in Europe; a boy trying to work up the nerve to ask a girl out who he had a crush on; new parents desperate to soothe their collicky infant discovering my music put him to sleep; a woman who found solace from worry about her upcoming cancer treatments; a couple who danced to one of my songs after exchanging their wedding vows. These stories that people have shared with me over the years are the most meaningful thing about my “job” of making music. What they’ve shared is a million times better than a five-star review in Rolling Stone!
You are quite prolific with your music, and you always seem to be working on something new. What’s next from Salim Nourallah?
Next year, I’m planning a first-time-on-vinyl release of my fourth album, “Constellation.” I’m also working on completing two albums’ worth of new music with my friend and co-producer, Billy Harvey. I’m hoping at least one of them will come out next year. Fingers crossed! We’re also hoping to release the Marty Willson-Piper record I’ve been helping produce. That’s going to be called “I’m A Really Big Fan of Your Old Stuff.” I’d like to toss in a 2024 tour of Australia, too!
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