Disobedience: A Review Of Nobody Loves You More, The First Solo Album From Kim Deal (The Pixies, The Breeders)

A presence in our lives for 40 years now, Kim Deal is finally putting out a solo record. Folks coming to this are going to wonder if it sounds like The Pixies, or The Breeders, or The Amps. It doesn't, really. Listening to Nobody Loves You More and trying to explicitly draw a line between those bands' seminal releases and this is a fool's game. A better option is to just enjoy this on its own terms as it's a fine, fine record.

From the sad lullaby of "Are You Mine" -- about Kim's mother's battle with dementia according to sources -- and on to the down-tempo lilt of "Coast", there's a range here that is surprising in a good way. Deal recorded this with the late Steve Albini and Nobody Loves You More has a wonderfully lived-in vibe. Nothing feels too over-thought, and whatever studio effects there are -- like the warped vocals and rough riffs of "Disobedience" -- seem deliberate but not strained. Deal's vocals are the star here. Tracks like the lovely "Summerland" are likely to surprise, but they will still please fans of Deal's previous bands.

There's a looseness to Nobody Loves You More which is really hard not to love. For someone with such an impressive list of past glories to her name, Kim Deal could have made her first solo record something else entirely. That it's so charming and -- dare I say it? -- sweet is the sort of combination that deserves to earn this a lot of spots on best albums of 2024 lists.

Nobody Loves You More by Kim Deal is out on Friday via 4AD.

[Photo: Alex Da Corte]