Offie Mag

For the keen-eyed, regular Offie Mag website visitor, you might recognise Brian Nasty from our homepage. You can find him in a photo next to me, wearing a ridiculous yellow bally at the old Rialto Theatre watching MIKE. A lot has changed since then, but one thing’s for certain: Brian is still creating some of the sweetest sounds around.

His most recent release, 'I Have So Much To Tell You,' featuring Austrian-Iranian multidisciplinary artist and Offie Mag cover star Sofie Royer, is part of his ongoing mixtape Anywhere But Here With You. Acting as a follow-up to Side A track 'I Have Nothing More To Tell You,' it presents a more subdued and introspective tone than its counterpart. Brian had this to say about it:

“Sometimes the silence is more than enough to let you know that things aren't okay... Even still, you can't help but wish you could tell them that one thing. It hurts being shrouded in regret.”

The looped drum sample that forms the track’s foundation carries a touch of old Phil Collins to it, but it’s actually a classic pattern from a Behringer machine that perfectly keeps the track’s loose pulse.

Loose is the theme instrumentally, as the keys and bass are allowed to show their character through syncopated rhythms and an improvisational feel that aligns with purposeful intent during the track’s hooks. Sofie’s vocal performance is as beautiful as ever, rich with the emotion we’ve come to expect from her. The track and the duo sound their best when they come together literally in harmony, as their vocals layer each other and reach the song’s thickest texture, joined by a gentle, expressive guitar lead.

The two also star in an accompanying music video directed by Manuel Haring, which continues to expand Brian’s sonic and visual universe. Commenting on the video, Brian says:

“Have you ever had someone in your life that you wish you could talk to? And you can really, but it’s just not a good idea. You wish you could tell them things — new things, old things, anything really. But you’re stuck in a liminal space. A parasocial space even. The space is mental rather than physical. That's the feeling I'm trying to get across in the song and the video. Distance, but closeness too.”

Watch the video below.

With the ever-evolving project that is Anywhere But Here With You, Brian sees it as so much more than just a mixtape. It’s a love letter to the process of becoming the person he is. It captures his formative years as an artist, exploring how the creative process can be both chaotic and eerily still, and serves as an archive of memory, joy, sadness, and reflection.

With the flow of music not slowing any time soon, you might want to catch some of these new ones live. And you can, as Brian is supporting Loyle Carner and Chuck Strangers throughout October and November.

And you can buy 'I Have So Much To Tell You' and Anywhere But Here With You here.

Words from Louis Rowland