Nadine Shah shares “love letter to people met in recovery” on new single ‘Twenty Things’

4 December, 2023

Nadine Shah performs at Eventim Apollo on October 21, 2023 in London, England

Nadine Shah has released ‘Twenty Things’, the second single from her upcoming full-length, ‘Filthy Underneath’.

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Upon a hypnotic groove, dramatic piano stabs and a gloomy sonic atmosphere, Shah recounts various colourful characters who appear to hide darker secrets. In the second verse, she sings: “They’re laying flowers by the bus stop / Some poor old junkie’s lucks up  / Took a man and woman on the same day  / His right leg shorter than the other / The second eldest brother  / Goes to see his mother every Sunday ”.

In a press release, Shah expressed that the sombre track was inspired by a slate of characters she encountered “whilst in recovery”. “No-one tells you that you’ll end up feeling so deeply for the people you meet there,” she wrote. “What makes it more intense is the fact that you know, statistically, that not everyone is going to make it once they’ve left the place.”

“Some of the most unspeakable things had happened to these people and equally some of the most heinous things were done by them. You’re supposed to love the sinner and hate the sin. I loved them all,” she added.

Watch Shah’s mostly black-and-white video for the track, directed by Sel MacLean, below:

In addition to releasing ‘Twenty Things’, Shah has announced a five-date headlining tour across the UK in Spring 2024, beginning in Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on April 26, and concluding in London’s Heaven on May 2. The full list of Nadine Shah’s 2024 tour dates is listed below. Tickets can be purchased from her official website.

‘Filthy Underneath’ is the singer-songwriter’s fifth full-length album, and will be helmed by longtime producer and co-writer, Ben Hillier. It is scheduled for release on February 23, 2024, and will be the first release from EMI’s North label, which operates in Leeds as the first major British label based outside of London.

‘Twenty Things’ follows the album’s lead single, ‘Topless Mother’, which was released in October. Regarding the track’s inspiration, Shah commented: “It’s a song about a counsellor I worked with that I couldn’t get along with. I’m pretty certain the feeling was mutual. And I’m also pretty certain she’d find this funny.”

Shah has been playing a handful of preview shows in the lead-up to the release of ‘Filthy Underneath’, including dates in Brighton, Glasgow and London, aside from supporting Young Fathers on their UK dates.