Alongside her indie band Whispertown, Morgan Nagler has also written songs with artists like Gillian Welch, Phoebe Bridgers, Haim and Kim Deal. She’s been best friends with Jenny Lewis for years and has recently been supporting Rilo Kiley on their reunion tour. Her debut solo album ‘I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It’ is the culmination of a life in music and a testament to her independent spirit.
You can see why so many artists have wanted to work with Morgan, as her style is cool, distinct and offbeat. Her voice actually fits nicely in the current crop of indie rock singers – part weird indie alt folk and part classic sweet indie pop.
On ‘Hurt’ she ruefully reflects on how time moves too fast, how life kicks you down, how ‘you don’t know love if you don’t know hurt’. Here love is also represented by the musical support of her friends Bethany Cosentino, Madi Diaz and Allison Crutchfield on backing vocals.
She also offers us a great song about the cost of living struggle on the ruefully wise indie rocker ‘Orange Wine’. On the quieter ‘Hammer and Nail’ she’s dreaming of a log cabin, a divine hammer to help her life improve. The yearning across the album never gets too dark, Morgan infuses her music with both realism and some much needed hope.
Grassoline is a perfect indie pop song about the wonders of weed, with a punny title and a sense of joy that almost makes me want to start smoking. Written with Madi Diaz, it is an infectious wonder and the stand out song on the album – she admitted that she initially pitched the track to Willie Nelson which would have been cool to hear.
The title of the album appears in the lyrics to the song ‘Another Mona Lisa’ where she concludes ‘I’ve got nothing left to prove, and I’m proving it’, which sums up her attitude and energy across the whole album. She finishes on ‘Heartbreak City’ an ode to the weirdness of LA.
‘I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It’ is a fantastic record, which proves that it’s never too late to find the confidence to start again. I loved the post Morgan made on Instagram the other day where she said: ‘You can’t fail if you never give up.’ Life motto and spring soundtrack unlocked thanks to this wise woman.
BUY: https://morgannagler.bandcamp.com/album/ive-got-nothing-to-lose-and-im-losing-it
Interview in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/mar/11/ive-always-had-this-blind-faith-morgan-nagler-on-writing-with-alt-rocks-biggest-names-and-making-her-solo-debut-at-47
Highway Queens 
Leave a comment