There’s a bittersweet weight to Nell Smith’s posthumous debut solo album, Anxious, due out April 11 via Bella Union. At just 17, Smith had already carved out a singular artistic voice—one that lives on in her latest single, “Boy in a Bubble”. A swirling psychedelic tribute to Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, the track feels like both a celebration and a cosmic thank-you, honoring the artist who helped shape her early creative journey.
Fueled by vibrant synth riffs, trippy guitar textures, and Coyne-approved dreamlike production, “Boy in a Bubble” captures the whimsy and wonder of their collaboration. Smith’s lyrics feel like pages from a kaleidoscopic diary, chronicling the magic of working alongside a musical hero. The accompanying video, produced by leading creative agency Firmative, weaves together electrifying live footage of Nell, Coyne, and The Flaming Lips, offering a vivid snapshot of the creative bond that shaped her early years.
Listen / Share: “Boy in a Bubble”
Beyond the music, Smith’s legacy continues through the Nell Smith Memorial Fund, which has already raised $16,000 toward its goal of $100,000. The fund aims to support emerging musicians, awarding $10,000 annually for the next decade—a fitting tribute to an artist whose work resonated deeply in such a short time. Fans can also contribute through newly released limited edition Nell & Wayne T-shirts, celebrating their creative partnership.
Posthumous releases often carry an emotional weight, but when an artist’s journey is cut so tragically short, that weight becomes almost unbearable. Anxious follows Smith’s 2021 collaboration with The Flaming Lips, Where The Viaduct Looms, a stunning collection of Nick Cave covers, and this time, her own songwriting takes center stage. Guided by Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles, the album showcases Smith’s raw, unfiltered perspective—melding youthful exhilaration with deep introspection. Some of these songs trace back to her earliest songwriting efforts at just 12 years old, now fully realized in a body of work that brims with emotion and promise.
“It is still very painful when I realize Nell is gone,” Coyne reflects. “I keep thinking I’ll check my text messages from her. I’m sure she has a new drawing or a new piece of a song… and then I remember she is gone. Now when I’m listening to her singing these songs, there is a brief fantastical joy. Her voice hits the ear, the ear tells the brain this is the sound of love, the brain lets the mind fly through the billions of connections it has with Nell’s life… but as it flies, it also flies to her death… there is something holy that happens now.”
That emotional duality—light and dark, joy and grief—permeates Anxious. Smith’s music was deeply rooted in the raw intensity of teenage experience: apprehension, love, travel, ambition, gratitude, and loss. Even in its heaviest moments, her debut finds a way to let light shine through the shadows, a testament to the creative spirit that continues to echo far beyond her years. Check it out below: