Abby Nissenbaum Taps Into The Deeply Personal On Latest Single, ‘Shelly Johnson’

Abby Nissenbaum has shared her latest single ‘Shelly Johnson’.

The track is an emotive exploration of indie-rock from the LGBTQ+ artist, reflecting on the sound of the 60s through a fresh, psychedelic production. ‘Shelly Johnson’ takes a new direction, venturing into a more upbeat and bold energy that still feels distinctly mellow. Sporting nostalgic guitar riffs, big drums and full vocals, Nissenbaum immerses her listener into her innermost thoughts and emotions.

‘Shelly Johnson’ arrives as the lead single from debut EP ‘Unreliable Narrator,’ a six-track project recorded between Nashville and Los Angeles. Operating across alternative pop, folk and down-tempo electronic music, the artist creates a space for introspection and vulnerability through candid song-writing. Now refining her craft as a classically trained soprano, the riser has worked alongside major players like Christoper Bill, the music director behind Netflix smash hit, ‘Stranger Things’. 

‘Shelly Johnson’ sees Abby Nissenbaum definitively step into her solo career, introducing the singer-songwriter to a broad spectrum of alternative music.

The artist expands:

“’Unreliable Narrator’ is an exploration of how external situations and inner states or feelings interact to form our internal narratives. I began writing this album in 2019 while leaving my Social Psychology PhD program, and started reflecting on the ways that external negative situations and others’ hurtful messages had been heavily souring my own self-talk and self-perception. I had read a research paper where depression and anxiety were characterised as ‘unreliable narration’ of one’s own life, and thought it perfectly encapsulated what I was feeling at the time. 

“Especially as an LGBTQ+ artist, I wanted the album to touch on different aspects of my life where I had ruminated on and internalised mistreatment, from homophobia to toxic romantic relationships. Instrumentally and genre-wise, the EP purposely sounds somewhat disjointed, with the one common denominator being my voice. I hope that listeners, especially other queer folks, can find solace in these songs and the fact that not every bad thing we believe about ourselves is the truth.”

Tune in now.

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