Nation of Language (notionofanguish) share new single 'Wounds of Love,' add 2022 tour dates:
, “Wounds of Love,” and added tour dates to their 2021 and 2022 slates, including new stops on their first-ever U.S. headlining tour this fall, and a winter 2022 run through the U.K. and E.U.,” “Wounds of Love” is an atmospheric, mid-tempo synth-pop strut that couches its pain and confusion in a fine mist of squelching keys and vocal layering. It’s further proof of Nation of Language’s knack for bringing compelling depth and texture to their new wave throwback sound, even on an off-speed pitch.
During its creation, the song was really born out of the main riff—I was experimenting with synth sounds and delay pedals, trying to find something that felt kind of like-era Kraftwerk, and this simple melody just flowed out. At first the urge was to go very robotic with it, but a laid-back groove fell into place and gave everything a really warm, spacey, stoned feeling, which felt like it amplified the emotional haze that the song deals with.
Later, when it came time to make a visual to accompany the song, the aim was to capture some of the ways people attempt to navigate moving past those major heartbreaks. Throwing oneself into tactile tasks seemed like a fitting arena to explore. To watch someone quietly working a craft with their hands, taking their time and allowing themselves to focus in a way that hopefully quiets the mind and blocks everything else out can be incredibly calming and hypnotic.