Description
A solo album by Netherlands-based Jonny Nash. An extension of his previous work, Point Of Entry, this album consists of 11 tracks that gently weave together elements of folk, ambient jazz, and dreampop, inviting listeners into Nash’s uniquely serene and expansive sonic world.
While his previous album had a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of daylight, Once Was Ours Forever is enveloped in the shadows of dusk and hazy light, unfolding like a slowly setting sun. Layers of delicately fingerpicked guitar, richly textured brush drums, floating melodies, and vocals dissolving into reverb create a sense of fleeting beauty that permeates the entire album.
From the cosmic Americana of Bright Belief to the rich, layered shoegaze textures of The Way Things Looked, Nash’s flexible and expressive guitar playing runs through the heart of the album. Canadian ambient jazz saxophonist Joseph Shabason adds delicate swells to Angel, while Shoei Ikeda (Maya Ongaku) provides saxophone, Tomo Katsurada (ex-Kikagaku Moyo) plays cello, and Tokyo acid folk artist Satomimagae (RVNG) offers hauntingly ethereal layered vocals on Rain Song. Each collaborator adds their own unique color, further deepening the album’s sonic landscape.
Nash’s music strikes an exquisite balance between softness and weight, giving listeners the freedom to interpret it and immerse themselves in the music. Pastoral yet profound, filled with both tranquility and insight, this album is a quiet masterpiece imbued with warmth and tenderness that will linger in the heart.
A1. Blue Dragonfly
A2. Dusk Can Dance
A3. Bright Belief
A4. Walk The Eighth Path
A5. Moon Seed
B1. Angel
B2. Rain Song
B3. The Way Things Looked
B4. Close To The Source
B5. Holy Moment
B6. Green Lane
Netherlands-based artist Jonny Nash returns to Melody As Truth with his new solo album, ‘Once Was Ours Forever.’ Building on 2023’s ‘Point Of Entry,’ this collection of eleven compositions draws us further into Nash’s immersive, slowly expanding world, effortlessly connecting the dots somewhere between folk, ambient jazz and dreampop.
While ‘Point Of Entry’ was characterised by it’s laid-back, daytime ambience, ‘Once Was Ours Forever’ arrives wrapped in shades of dusk and hazy light, unfolding like a slow-moving sunset. Built from layers of gentle fingerpicked guitar, textural brush strokes, floating melodies and reverb-soaked vocals, moments come and go, fleeting and ephemeral.
From the cosmic Americana of ‘Bright Belief’ to the lush, layered shoegaze textures of ‘The Way Things Looked’, Nash’s versatile guitar playing lies at the heart of this album, gently supported by a cast of collaborators who each add their unique touches. Canadian ambient jazz saxophonist Joseph Shabason makes a return appearance, providing his delicate swells to ‘Angel.’ Saxophone is also provided by Shoei Ikeda (Maya Ongaku), cello by Tomo Katsurada (ex-Kikagaku Moyo) and Tokyo acid folk artist Satomimagae (RVNG) lends her haunting multilayered vocals to ‘Rain Song.’
As with much of Nash’s work, ‘Once Was Ours Forever’ deftly finds an equilibrium between softness and weight, offering the listener ample space to interpret and inhabit the music on their own terms. Through his uncanny ability to blend the pastoral and the profound, the idyllic and the insightful, ‘Once Was Ours Forever’ arrives as a tender and understated offering, infused with warmth and compassion.
