As frontwoman of “hell-or-high-water” punk band Fuuls and owner of recording studio Weird Spirit Recordings, Ash Nataanii is an important figure in the Missoula music community. Not content with these two outlets, Nataanii has also been hard at work on solo material, the culmination of which is her debut solo album, Exit Music for Exit Wounds, which is coming out early next month on Anything Bagel.
Equipped with an electric guitar, 80s Casio keyboard and (in her own words) “all the heartbreak she can wring out of wet cloth vocals,” Ash Nataanii solo is, on the surface, a very different beast to the Ash Nataanii that fronts Fuuls. Gone is the ferocious aggression, the throat-shredding yells reined in, replaced with something far more tender but no less cathartic. This is vulnerable indie pop with a steely edge, Nataanii exploring life as a queer indigenous person in a style that is fun and defiant and very much unique. “Exit Music for Exit Wounds is as much exorcism as it is prophecy,” she explains. “It’s a scrapbook of familiar sounds and a sneak peek at heartbreak yet to be.”
Today we have the pleasure of unveiling the album’s debut single. Titled ‘Everything Must Go’ it is a three minute illustration of what to expect from the album and the perfect introduction to Ash Nataanii as a solo artist. The lo-fi aesthetic is juxtaposed by a depth afforded by the rich combination of buoyant beats and electric guitar, giving the impression that Nataanii has wrung out every drop of potential without sacrificing that DIY rawness. Above all this, Nataanii’s expressive and direct vocals are given license to take centre stage, quickly proving that she can express herself just as well with a “whimper” as a shout.