Dallas-based singer-songwriter Salim Nourallah has just released his new, engaging album, “A Nuclear Winter,” and he sat down with @skopemag to talk about this emotional collection of songs.
@skopemag: Tell us about “A Nuclear Winter.”
Salim: It’s the first album I’ve recorded with my band (John Dufilho, Joe Reyes, Richard Martin, Jason Garner) since 2011’s “Hit Parade.” Marty Willson-Piper also joined our ranks and played guitar. It was completed in 2020, but the pandemic ruined our release plans. I decided to delay its release until Marty and his wife, Olivia, could come to the states and join us for live dates. They live in Portugal. They’re finally here in Texas now, and “A Nuclear Winter” was just released on State Fair records (in conjunction with my record label – Happiness).
@skopemag: What are recurring themes on this album?
Salim: The two themes involve struggle and negativity found in our inner narratives. I’ve worked hard over the years to try and become better at simply observing my thoughts and not engaging with all of them, especially the dark or negative ones.
@skopemag: What do you hope the album message is for listeners?
Salim: The final song on the record, “Let Go,” probably contains the best overall message. It’s been said many times, but I think it’s worth expressing again. At the end of all of our lives we have to let go of everything and everyone we loved so dearly here. We’re also forced to let go of things throughout our lives. So, it might not be a bad practice to start acknowledging the process of surrender.
@skopemag: What made you choose your album title?
Salim: I have a lyric from a song that goes, “When you’ve survived an emotional apocalypse, even a nuclear winter feels warm.” When I was looking at this collection of 10 songs, I felt like they all dealt with the “emotional apocalypse,” so “A Nuclear Winter” was a fitting title. The title also made it easy to come up with some fun visual imagery to accompany it. I credit Jeff Caudill for that part of the process!
