Of Monsters & Men vocalist Nanna taps Aaron Dessner for new LP, touring with Indigo Sparke

Of Monsters And Men vocalist Nanna has announced her debut solo LP, How To Start A Garden, due out May 5 via Republic Records (pre-order). She produced it alongside The National‘s Aaron Dessner and Bonny Light Horseman‘s Josh Kaufman. “A lot of things had to end for this album to become what it is,” Nanna says. “A long term relationship, my prior sense of home and belonging. But it’s also an ode to the joy of new beginnings: new relationships, a new home, new friendships, a new sense of self. The album takes place in this in-between state. It captures a very specific time in my life of curiosity and reflection, when I felt very much in the middle of a surreal new reality and didn’t have a clear path in my direction—like how a snowstorm is somehow chaotic but calm at the same time.” Check out the artwork and tracklist below.

The latest single from the album is “Crybaby,” and you can watch the accompanying video below. “I wrote the song in my cabin. I had gone there to spend some time alone, and I remember lying on my floor playing the guitar and feeling sorry for myself. It felt dramatic and a bit funny, so I called the song ‘Crybaby’ as a way of making fun of myself,” said Nanna. “This influenced a lot of the record, this thing of not taking yourself so seriously when you feel very serious.”

Nanna has also announced a US tour this summer with support from Indigo Sparke. Later in the year, she’ll play her home country at Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavík. See all dates below.

The NYC show is on July 26 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for all dates go on sale Friday, February 24 at 10 AM local.

How To Start A Garden Tracklist
“How To Start A Garden” (Written and produced by Nanna, Additional Production by Josh Kaufman)
“Sputnik” (Written and Produced by Nanna, Additional Production by Josh Kaufman)
“Crybaby” (Written by Nanna, Produced by Nanna and Aaron Dessner)
“Disaster Master” (Written by Nanna, Produced by Josh Kaufman)
“The Vine / 13” (Written by Nanna & Ragnar Thorhallson, Produced by Nanna)
“Godzilla” (Written and Produced by Nanna)
“Bloodclot / Andvaka” (Written and Produced by Nanna)
“Milk” (Written by Nanna and Aaron Dessner, Produced by Aaron Dessner)
“Igloo” (Written and Produced by Nanna)
“Voyager” (Written by Nanna, Produced by Josh Kaufman)
“Seabed” (Written by Nanna, Aaron Dessner & Ragnar Thorhallson, Produced by Nanna and Aaron Dessner)

Nanna — 2023 Tour Dates
July 18 – Burlington, VT / Higher Ground
July 20 – Washington, DC / Howard Theatre
July 21 – Philadelphia, PA / Union Transfer
July 22 – Woodstock, NY / Colony
July 26 – New York, NY / Bowery Ballroom
July 31 – Ann Arbor, MI / The Ark
August 1 – Chicago, IL / Thalia Hall
August 3 – Minneapolis, MN / Fine Line
August 5 – Denver, CO / Bluebird Theater
August 8 – West Hollywood, CA / Troubadour
August 10 – Pioneertown, CA / Pappy and Harriet’s
August 15 – Portland, OR / Wonder Ballroom
August 16 – Seattle, WA / Neptune Theatre
November 2-4 – Reykjavík, Iceland / Iceland Airwaves Festival