Brix Smith & Marty Willson-Piper ‘Lost Angeles’, an undiscovered gem finally sees the light.

On 17 December 2021, legendary musical pioneers Brix Smith and Marty Willson-Piper will release the album ‘Lost Angeles’, which was originally recorded in 1997, through Brix’ label Grit Over Glamour / Cadiz Music. The album will be preceded on 15 October 2021 by the first single ‘Backwards’. ‘Lost Angeles’ features some of Smith’s best work to date. Originally intended to be a follow on from her influential and much loved project The Adult Net, ‘Lost Angeles‘ was written in Los Angeles during her break from The Fall (1992-1994) and recorded in 1997 in Penzance during her second stint in The Fall.

‘Lost Angeles’ (which over the years Brix has referred to as “the lost album”) is the missing puzzle piece from Smith’s long and varied career. A must have for any fan of Brix Smith’s songwriting, and a great starting point for those that are not familiar with her previous work.

The music, which comprises the delicately layered jangling guitars of Willson-Piper and infectious melodies of Smith, is darkly juxtaposed by Smith’s lyrics, which are both painfully honest and excruciatingly vulnerable. This combination creates a dynamic piece of work, which is as disturbing as it is uplifting.

When asked why ‘Lost Angeles’ has taken so long to be released, Smith says, “I was at my most vulnerable when I wrote this album. I was coming out of a devastating break up and I had lost my way mentally, emotionally and financially. I was trying to re-find my identity, whilst grappling with my mental health. I had lost my confidence and felt too raw to release it. I worried that by exposing myself so honestly, I might have to face possible rejection from the music industry, and that was something I feared I would not have been able to handle emotionally.

Thankfully, I’ve gone through the dark tunnel and come out on the other side. With hindsight, I realise this a defining piece of my musical journey. I’ve always known how good this album is, but it is only now that I am confident enough to release it. Everything comes in its own time. The timeless nature of the music and the universality of the emotional lyrics, make this album just as relevant now, as when I wrote it.”

Now, in the process of finishing a solo album with Youth at the controls, with some intimate London shows at the St Pancras Old Church coming in February 2022, her star is once more in the ascendancy. Hers is a legacy that is set to grow yet further. Known, of course, as the lead guitarist and as a prolific songwriter in The Fall [1983-1989, 1994-1996], Brix is a multi-faceted musician, singer and more. Considered by many to be the first Riot Grrl, Brix published ‘The Rise, The Fall, And The Rise’ via Faber & Faber and is also an important figure in the worlds of fashion, TV and acting. She has also recorded three critically-hailed albums with Brix & the Extricated since 2016. Far more than just a Cult hero, whilst Brix Smith has repeatedly been reluctantly and reductively cast in the role of the underdog, this is an important, lauded and successful artist who is energised, inspired and set irrevocably on a firmly forward trajectory. ‘Lost Angeles’ was willed back into existence by this force of nature, who creates to live. The time is right for ‘Lost Angeles’ to take its place in the Brix Smith canon: an artist who almost lost herself, but knows exactly who she is now.