Maine-based, Los Angeles-born singer-songwriter Jesse Kivel returns with “The House of Nassi,” his first new music since 2023’s Life and Death at Party Rock, released via his own New Feelings label. A slow-burning folk track, the song draws inspiration from an unlikely source—a cassette tape invitation to a 40th birthday party his parents received in 1990.
“I remember unwrapping the package in our living room and playing the tape,” Kivel recalls. “A rhythmic groove kicked in, and through it, an over-the-top, grand invitation to Albert Nassi’s party. That song stuck with me for 30 years.”
While rooted in this nostalgic moment, “The House of Nassi” expands into something deeper—a meditation on wealth, time, and the shifting nature of memory in the digital age. “I feel my own aging, but technology accelerates it,” Kivel says. “I’ve fused with the machine, and in doing so, my memories have grown foggy and sparse.” Yet, the Nassi invitation remains sharp, “ringing like a silver bell for all who truly believe.”
Co-written with Joey Genetti, the track features Hamilton Belk on pedal steel, Matt Popieluch on guitar and vocals, and Kivel handling vocals, guitars, keys, bass, and additional production.
Catch Jesse Kivel live at Tandem in Portland, Maine, on Friday, April 18.