Today, My Brightest Diamond, the spellbinding musical project of multi-instrumentalist Shara Nova, announces her sixth studio album, Fight the Real Terror out September 13 via Western Vinyl. A year ago today, in the hours after the news of Sinéad O’Connor’s death broke, Nova’s hometown of Detroit experienced a blackout that would last for three days. As she sat in darkness with her guitar, Nova reflected on O’Connor’s life and art, and through her crackling grief found new inspiration. Over those days, she would write and record the raw demos that became Fight the Real Terror. The album is a clarion call to action and a testament to the transformative power of music. The defiant and hopeful songs are simultaneously intimate and expansive, urging listeners to confront their fears, embrace their vulnerabilities, and fight for a better world. The album’s title is an interpolation of O’Connor’s insistence to “fight the real enemy” during her iconic SNL performance.
The album’s announcement is paired with the haunting new single “Have You Ever Seen An Angel.” The spare song centers Nova’s shimmering signature vocals and reckons with death and the presence of those who have departed. Nova says of the song, “‘Have You Ever Seen An Angel’ is a reflection on some of the worst moments in my life, moments of great loss or shock, and how at key moments I felt connected to something bigger than myself, as though I was being helped or a feeling of not being alone even when I was alone.” The song is released with a music video directed by Andrew Ondrejcak (Hermes, Vivienne Westwood).
Nova says of the album, “Fight the Real Terror is a question about activism, and about examining our vulnerabilities. I am not offering answers but a glimpse into these contemplations. Writing quickly without orchestration forced me to be in the moment, focusing on structure rather than frill. I wrote & recorded a song a day in my home studio and rather than going back over to tweak, Tom Schick & I wanted to stay close to the unpolished emotion keeping the first drafts.”
Nova wrote and recorded these songs between July 26 and August 13, 2023. Traveling from her home in Detroit to Chicago, she worked with Tom Schick (Wilco, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones) at Wilco’s studio, The Loft. Initially expecting to re-record everything, she was surprised when Tom insisted on keeping the raw demo material recorded during the blackout intact with additional bass, piano and guitar tracked in the studio. The album is sequenced in the order in which it was written. Over the years, My Brightest Diamond has released five groundbreaking, acclaimed albums, each showcasing a different musical landscape while always centering on Nova’s distinctive voice. Fight the Real Terror strips Nova back to a raw foundation.
Fight The Real Terror will be released digitally on September 13 and physically on September 20. The vinyl will be released in safety orange, inspired by Nova’s signature orange hair.
This fall, My Brightest Diamond will embark on a 17-date US tour kicking off September 12. Full routing below and tickets on sale here.
