Morgan Nagler – Heartbreak City
Today, Los Angeles-based Morgan Nagler offers another taste of her exceptional songwriting with a new single/video, “Heartbreak City,” from her debut album, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It, out March 13th via Little Operation Records and More.
On the heels of last month’s “Grassoline,” which Stereogum says, has “a melody that’ll almost certainly get stuck in your head,” “Heartbreak City” is the album’s stunningly spare closing track. Through candid, evocatively detailed lyrics, she chronicles the aftermath of a breakup: “Where the sidewalk ends // The bridges are in flames // I can’t begin again // Different face and different name // As I allow your memory // To haunt me through the years // It’s Heartbreak City over here.” “Heartbreak City” arrives with a video directed by Christian Stavros and Austin Nagler.
“Although the entire song is mostly metaphor, the meaning is painfully obvious,” Nagler explains. “In the present moment, I can’t help but assign new meaning to this song as I stand with Minneapolis and every single heartbroken city right now in America as we witness and collectively experience the grief and total outrage of the shockingly inhumane, cold blooded, fascist, racist, murderous oppression. And for every other heartbroken city experiencing war, starvation, and endless horror on this planet, my great hope is for the pendulum to swing in the exact opposite direction. And I know in my heart it is possible.
Nagler has been a songwriter for more than half of her life, contributing her poetic approach to melody and wordcraft to hundreds of sessions during the past few years. She is hugely in-demand in writing rooms and has co-written with Phoebe Bridgers (on the Grammy-nominated “Kyoto”), Margo Price, Kim Deal, HAIM and beyond. After putting her projects, Whispertown and Supermoon, on the backburner while building new muscles as a collaborator, she realized that she still had her own stories aching to get out. I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It is a stunning testament to Nagler’s skills as a songwriter, as well as to the unique beauty and tenderness of her approach as a singer.
In early 2024, on the precipice of the devastating break-up of her engagement, Nagler turned to her guitar to sing her grief, and once she’d opened that channel, the ideas came rushing through like an emotional tsunami. She soon amassed dozens of songs, and as raw and vulnerable as the process was, Nagler felt more like herself than ever. She soon collaborated with co-producer Kyle Thomas (aka King Tuff) to develop the songs that best represented this new phase in her artistry. They recorded in Los Angeles in 2024 and 2025 with Nagler enlisting a stellar backing band, including Thomas on guitar, backing vocals from Allison Crutchfield, Madi Diaz and Bethany Cosentino, Gabe Noel (Kamasi Washington, Kendrick Lamar) on bass, Courtney Barnett, Meg Duffy and Harrison Whitford on guitars, and Josh Adams (Cat Power, Weyes Blood) on drums.
Last year, Nagler supported Kim Deal, Rilo Kiley, and Kurt Vile on tour. In celebration of I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It’s release, she will play a Los Angeles record release show on March 12th at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Later this month, she will support Mount Eerie in Los Angeles, and this spring, she will support King Tuff on his North American tour.
Morgan Nagler Tour Dates
Thu. Feb. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium !
Thu. March 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Roadhouse
Thu. April 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg*
Fri. April 17 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s*
Sat. April 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie*
Sun. April 19 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House*
Tue. April 21 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings*
Wed. April 22 – Atlanta, GA @ The EARL*
Fri. April 24 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa*
Sun. April 26 – Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom*
Wed. April 29 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah*
Thu. April 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium*
Fri. May 1 – Ojai, CA @ Ojai Women’s Center*
Thu. Sept. 3 – Sun. Sept. 6 – Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road Festival
! = w/ Mount Eerie
* = w/ King Tuff
#morgannagler