Kate Nash has a new album on the way, and it celebrates her Irish heritage. Cailín, her sixth studio record, arrives on January 22 via Kill Rock Stars. Nash is dual citizen, with her mother from Dublin and Nash herself raised in an Irish community in London’s North Harrow.
The record comes with a lead single, “Spilt Milk,” and a video directed by Tom Beard. It also brings a cover of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Famine,” which Nash released earlier this year after signing with Kill Rock Stars.
From Ireland To The Album
“Cailín” opens the record with its namesake title. “Freedom Of Me” follows, and then “Famine,” the O’Connor cover. The tracklist runs through twelve tracks, ending with “Christmas Eve.”
The album draws on Nash’s dual citizenship, with her mother hailing from Dublin and Nash herself raised in London’s North Harrow among Irish communities. That background shapes the record, from the title down to individual songs named for Irish places and figures.
What “Spilt Milk” Says
“Spilt Milk” was initially written about abortion law in Ireland, before that country repealed its 8th Amendment in 2018. Nash said the song is about losing control over your own body, being ignored, and watching power grow bigger, scarier, and more crushing. She pointed directly at the political moment.
“It’s about not having control over your own body, not being listened to and feeling like the powers that be are getting bigger, scarier and more crushing,” Nash said in a press release. “With the overturning of Roe v Wade and women’s sexual health rights being rolled back in the US this song feels pertinent to today. The song questions why the female voice is so ignored and why we’d be expected to accept this.”
The song is described as a ferocious, punky, hip-hop-inflected romp. Its lyrics lash out against the growing oppression of women’s bodies.
The Tracklist
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | “I Guess I’ll Never Learn A Thing” |
| 02 | “Cailín” |
| 03 | “Freedom Of Me” |
| 04 | “Famine” |
| 05 | “Spilt Milk” |
| 06 | “Wild Atlantic Way” |
| 07 | “Crying” |
| 08 | “Irish Saints” |
| 09 | “Póg mo thóin” |
| 10 | “Lady Gregory” |
| 11 | “Pay Up” |
| 12 | “Christmas Eve” |
The Significance Of The Cover
Nash’s cover of “Famine” was not just a tribute. It was a signpost for where she was heading. The album is a celebration of her Irish heritage, and the songs draw on her mother’s Dublin background and her own upbringing in North Harrow.
The album’s lead single, “Spilt Milk,” is a ferocious, punky, hip-hop-inflected romp. The lyrics lash out against the growing oppression of women’s bodies. Nash said the song was initially written about abortion law in Ireland before the repeal of the 8th Amendment, which only happened in 2018.
The Political Moment
Nash ties the song to current events. “With the overturning of Roe v Wade and women’s sexual health rights being rolled back in the US this song feels pertinent to today,” she said. The song questions why the female voice is so ignored and why we’d be expected to accept this.
The album is a personal statement about her family history and a political one about women’s rights.
Cailín is out 1/22 via Kill Rock Stars. Pre-order it here.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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