Nick Ward details second album, Year Of The Snake

Year Of The Snake follows Ward's 2024 album House With The Blue Door, with "Piano" arriving as the first preview of the collection of songs. Ward wrote and co-produced the track alongside Kody Nielson (Unknown Mortal Orchestra) and Timon Martin (BENEE, Babe Rainbow), and it is described as a "restless and schizophrenic" statement for the album.

Year Of The Snake follows a period of personal upheaval for Ward, including relationship breakdowns and isolation, and serves as his attempt to work through his emotions. Thematically, it draws from the myth of Orpheus, whose journey into the underworld became a parallel for Ward in his personal life.

"I didn't want to make a depressing album wallowing about what it's like to be alive right now," Ward says. "I wanted to make a record that felt like a warm hand on the shoulder or a pep talk, without being naive to the darker shades of life."

The album was made between Auckland and Sydney, the album features contributions from Timon Martin, Kody Nielson, 1tbsp, Simon Lam, Lucian Rice, Tony Buchen, Kirin J Callinan and Phoebe Go. The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Animal Collective and Fiona Apple were key inspirations for the sound, which is noted as a step forward for Ward.

"Year Of The Snake feels like the first fully realised Nick Ward record," he says. "My first album was made almost completely in my bedroom, so this was my first time building something from scratch on a larger scale."

Year Of The Snake artwork