swan heart by nina gala
In the summer of 2020, gala found herself at the end of a six year long partnership, in the middle of a pandemic and living alone for the first time. Over the next six months, with not much more than a mattress on the floor and her amp plugged into the wall, she started writing the songs which would become her debut, "swan heart".
With support from emerging Baltimore-based producer Erik Schwarzenberg (Revolver, Little Lungs), who co-produced the album, gala has expanded her sonic universe to include bass written by gala herself, percussion, and string arrangements by Jon Birkholz (Adjective Animal, Super City). While emotive storytelling remains at the center of gala's practice, these embellishments help swan heart stand out as the most sophisticated work in the artist's collection.
Tracklist
| 1. | a garden, a window, a wedding bell | 6:32 |
| 2. | swan heart | 2:00 |
| 3. | we looked like angels | 2:58 |
| 4. | perfect, precious | 3:10 |
| 5. | healing | 1:37 |
| 6. | the river is mine | 6:26 |
| 7. | tangerine | 2:03 |
| 8. | casalena | 4:18 |
Credits
all songs written and performed by nina gala
string arrangements by jon birkholz
percussion by erik schwarzenberg
produced by erik schwarzenberg, nina gala
mixed by erik schwarzenberg
vocals, guitars & bass engineered by erik schwarzenberg
percussion engineered by garrett long at the watermelon room
mastered by mat leffler-schulman at mobtown studios
additional performers:
violin by yu-ting wu
viola by allen hicks
cello by zack branch
photography, artwork: nina gala
artwork design assistance: taylor casalena
