New Work: Nicholas Allbrook’s ‘Manganese’
Back in 2022, I got a message from long-time collaborator, photographer Duncan Wright, asking if I’d be interested in working with him on the next Nicholas Allbrook solo album. It was one of the easiest questions I’ve ever been asked.
Working with the frenetic images from Duncan was the perfect way to start, as was listening to the unreleased Manganese masters and really trying to get into the spirit of the work. We pulled visual inspiration from Bowie, Blondie, New Order and many more miscellaneous references online, leading us to the first sketches of an idea.
Having seen Nick perform live with Pond, and watching performances in music videos, I was struck by his physicality. This was again evident in Duncan’s photography, but from a contrasting perspective – here was a half-naked body, vulnerable, tangled and closed off.
The type sought to bring some of the energy of the music, the live performances, the flair, charisma, chaos, and feeling that he was breaking free somehow – larger than life.
We settled on the image and the type quite early. The type came next, scrawled with a mouse and the brush tool in Illustrator, then carefully refining the chaos by hand in Procreate.
The layout took far more time, and involved more discussions about the intentions of the work. This was the point in the process where I most appreciated Nick’s artistic vision. It kept the cover art moving along, improving and becoming more closely intwined with the art within.
Oh, and do yourself a favour and give the album a listen! 🎧