Cardiff based singer/songwriter She’s Got Spies aka Laura Nunez releases her new album Isle of Dogs on November 6. The new album is preceded by the single Super Sniffer Dogs on the October 23.
She’s Got Spies is the project of Laura and her cast of collaborators. Laura spends her time between Cardiff and London, and is multilingual singing in Welsh, English and Russian. Other band members include Gareth Middleton (guitar) and Mel Beard (glockenspiel/ keyboard) on some tracks, additionally with Pixy Jones (El Goodo) on guitar, Andy Fung (Derrero) on drums and producer Frank Naughton on piano, synths, guitar, bass, strings and percussion.
Isle of Dogs is a trilingual travelogue album, with most of the songs written on the move while travelling or whilst Nunez was living in various countries. She spent time in Russia, Vietnam, Italy, Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, and parts were also written in Cardiff, London and other parts of Wales and England.
Featuring music hall style pianos, bounding percussion, fizzing guitars and a playful vocal, Super Sniffer Dogs is inspired by Laura’s time spent visiting Poplar on the Isle of Dogs, an area of high contrast with the rich, banking area of Canary Wharf and large, destitute council estates. It’s about an imaginary dystopian festival with lots of restrictions in a high walled destitute area.
Here Laura discusses her Music DNA with Andy Howells.
What was the first song that made an impact on you?
The first song I fell in love with was Alright by Supergrass. It was fun and summery with a brilliant melody, and I loved the video filmed in Portmeirion. I taped it off the ITV Chart Show and used to watch it loads! (Alright also happens to be the first single Laura bought)
What was the first album you owned?
Supergrass – I Should Coco.
After falling in love with Alright, I also fell in love with their debut album, which had just recently been released. I first heard it on the listening posts in Our Price, then saved up my pocket money to buy it on cassette! I still listen to it frequently now, and sounds like a timeless album, and was lucky enough to see them on their reunion tour at the beginning of this year before the world went crazy!
What’s your constant go to track?
Latin Simone by Gorillaz. I love both the Spanish and English versions of this song. It’s melancholic yet makes you feel like dancing.
What’s your constant go to album?
Recently it’s Merrie Land by The Good, The Bad & The Queen. It had a big impact on me when it came out, and I love the dark look at Britain, with vivid descriptions of places that take you back to them.
Who’s your latest music discovery?
I’ve been getting into Nadine Shah’s music just recently and love Adwaith’s stuff. Also, not really a new discovery, but am really into El Goodo’s new album Zombie, and have had it on repeat.
What’s your own track that best defines you as an artist?
Difficult to say, as they’re all very different, so will say Super Sniffer Dogs, as was fun to record and really got into it in the studio in the dark depths of January this year.