On his debut solo single, Fergus Nash is quick to assert himself as something more than your regular run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter. Rather, the opening of ‘The Weather Again’ feels like arriving into the most sinister jazz-lounge imaginable - built around a bare acoustic guitar and unfaltering beat, the tracks grooves away ominously as dissonant horns drone in the background and effected vocals float around the peripheries. Moments later as Fergus’ rich croon is introduced, the mood is only heightened, with his dark lyrics making things sound both threatening and delicate at the same time. 'The Weather Again' proceeds to saunter along steadily, twisting and morphing around Fergus’ voice, until things suddenly shift and the track is overtaken by glitching synthesizers and warped sound-effects until everything falls apart.

To celebrate the release of ‘The Weather Again’, we got in touch with Fergus to find out about the track and what’s to come next.

TJ: Hey Fergus, tell us a bit about yourself.


FN: I’m 20 years old, I'm a sound engineer, and I spend way too much time watching TV shows. I calculated that I've spent over a month of my life watching Buffy, which I'm fairly proud of. I think I'm also a bit obsessed with making things.

What’s the story behind ‘The Weather Again’?


Usually for song lyrics, I just find a few words that sound nice and evocative with no real meaning. That's sort of where it started, just describing the storms that were happening while I stumbled across the chords. I ended up throwing in some references to my work struggles, having quit a door to door sales job after three days when I realised I wasn't going to be paid more than $25 at all. Fun, fun times.

You’re also a member of Frayhound, but this is your first release under your own name - why was this the right time to start your solo project?


Frayhound's on a bit of a hiatus at the moment, just because we had a few weeks of pushing our EP fairly hard and I just stopped booking gigs then nobody complained, so I thought we all needed the break. Our bassist Paul is also going to study in Scotland for six months, but I still love the music and I'm sure we'll get back into it eventually. I did a solo Frayhound set that was fun, and I've wanted to pursue a more acoustic vibe ever since delving into Mark Lanegan's solo albums. My whole ethos for the project is “cheap tricks and minimal effort”, which tends to be a lot less stressful.

What’s coming up next for Fergus Nash?

I'm working on an album - at the time of this interview I've got four songs done and I need to write another four before my gig at the Tote next Sunday. I've also been doing my usual sound work, now working in-house at the Penny Black every Saturday, mixing a short film by director Alex Wu, and in October I'm recording and producing another EP for Milkbar Collective. All in all, it's a hectic time, for some reason I just live easier when I stress myself out.