Nick Cave has teamed up with the Miraculous Love Kids of Afghanistan — a musical group of girl refugees — for their new single “Breathless/Beautiful.” Listen to it below.
Based on “Wife With Eyes Closed,” a poem Cave wrote about his wife Susie for Issue #60 of his The Red Hand Files, “Breathless/Beautiful” is a resonant number heightened by the children’s saccharine harmonies. Group founder Lanny Cordola intros the track with gravelly vocals backed by slow acoustic guitar before Cave’s gruffness enters the picture.
“The words resonated deeply in my soul and it struck me how even in loss, grief, and the harsh agonies of the world, we can create a sacred chamber in the heart to keep our loved ones,” Cordola said in a press release. It was his idea to expand on the poem, having first read it just two days after losing his brother. “Then the music appeared and attached itself to the words in a kind of holy embrace. When I played it for the girls, they were deeply moved. It was as if the words and melody expressed the heavy longing in their souls.”
The video for the track is intentionally dim, bouncing back and forth between in-studio shots of Cave and choral ones of the girls, and was edited and directed by documentarian Hans Fjellestad. Though not present in the video, bassist William Dagsher and drummer Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee) are also on the song.
“I am honored that Lanny and the Miraculous Love Kids/Girl with a Guitar have chosen to use my poem in this way,” Cave said about the song. “What they do speaks volumes as to what music can give, but also what can be taken away.”
The Miraculous Love Kids have also recently done collaborations with Tom Morello and Serj Tankian on “God Help Us All”, and with Sammy Hagar and Chad Kroeger on a cover of Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.”
As for Cave, he recently joined Debbie Harry for a cover of Jeffery Lee Pierce’s “On the Other Side.” He’s also set to embark on a North American tour starting September 19th in Asheville. He’ll also hit Brooklyn, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Find tickets here.
