Nick Ward has released “Making Time,” the opening track from his forthcoming second album, Year Of The Snake. Due November 13, the record follows his 2024 debut, House With The Blue Door, and finds him bringing more collaborators into his recording process.

“Making Time” was the first song Ward made with co-producer Timon Martin. Their work together helped him reconsider an approach that had previously involved making much of his music alone. Although he continued to play most of the instruments on the new album, Ward wanted to distribute some of the responsibility after the demands of finishing his debut. “I play most of the instruments on the record and it’s still my baby at the end of the day, but I wanted to share the workload a little bit as well after getting so heady while finishing House With The Blue Door.”

The song took shape as Ward’s long-term relationship and friendships were beginning to unravel. Its lyrics imagined a life beyond those circumstances, giving him a way to write about changes he had yet to make. “I was writing during a time when I was stuck in this relationship and stuck in these friendships, dreaming of escape,” Ward said. “A lot of the songs were written almost as fantasy, and then ended up happening.”

Those experiences inform an album concerned with growing up, loss, and identity as relationships and expectations change. Musically, Year Of The Snake draws on folk, baroque pop, electronic music, soul, indie rock, and classical music. Ward cites Brian Wilson, Vampire Weekend, and Animal Collective among its influences.

Lucian Rice and Tony Buchen also contributed to the record. Alongside the broader circle of collaborators, Ward sought a different relationship with precision in his performances. “With this album, I wanted to make something that had a few more mistakes,” he said. “I wanted to attack the feelings of things – to get to the truth in a different way.”

Listen to “Making Time” here.