Sydney artist Nick Ward has shared his first single for the year, a meditative, heartfelt synth-pop ballad titled ‘FUNERAL’ that sees him reflecting on the conflicting emotions that come with grief and loss.
The track also features the return of fellow Sydney singer-songwriter E^ST, marking her first new song since releasing debut album I’M DOING IT back in 2020.. Her vocals float alongside Ward’s, above a layered backdrop of acoustic guitars, swirling synths and driving percussion. Backing vocals also come courtesy of pop wunderkind Ashwarya along with Simon Lam of Kllo and Armlock.
“Grief wasn’t anything like I expected – there was no romance in it, no Hollywood; not even really that much crying,” Ward explains. “This song is about going to their funerals and the guilt of feeling nothing at all – the way your brain protects itself from something painful, and how I just wish I had something to connect me to that moment.
“I felt guilty that I wasn’t mourning or crying – it was almost like life was going forward as usual, just without them for some reason. ”
‘FUNERAL’ arrives alongside a video directed by Ward himself that mirrors the themes explored on the track – creating it, he says, came with a sense of catharsis. “It feels strangely fitting that the process of making the song was actually the antidote to the feelings the song addresses.”
‘FUNERAL’ is one of eight tracks that will appear on Ward’s forthcoming EP ‘Brand New You’, which is set to arrive Friday, 15th April via Hunnydew Recordings. Watch the video for ‘FUNERAL’ below.
