As you might expect given the title, Princess Chelsea’s “No Church On Sunday” is about growing up religious, leaving that faith behind, and finding that your parents still love you anyway. The narrative is delivered in the context of a humongous gleaming electro-pop production steeped in rock guitars, and Auckland-based Chelsea Nikkel tells her tale in a twee sing-song that lends a casual innocence to an otherwise professional-sounding recording. It’s coming out via Mermaid Avenue, a new imprint of Mom + Pop. Here’s what Nikkel had to say about the track:

“No Church On Sunday” deals with complicated feelings about leaving a strict religious background.

I was raised by my parents (who are awesome) in what most would consider a strict Christian household and decided it wasn’t for me about age 17.
So I moved out of home to my first flat in Avondale with my friend Jamie who was 16 and from the same church.

At the time Avondale was one of Auckland’s rougher suburbs although now thanks to the ‘property boom’ over here the gentrification has begun…..
It was our first flat out of home so needless to say we had a few parties – there were beer bottles everywhere (a shopping trolley full of them) and a lot of weird cousins and hengers on who just wouldn’t leave.
Coincidentally our new home was right next door to one of our old churches.

We felt gross weird confused and guilty but we still wouldn’t go to church. Instead we stayed inside for most of the day and night watching Nip/Tuck.

Jamie who years later ended up playing keyboards for me demoed up No Church on Sunday on Garageband a few years back – I guess kinda half seriously. She didn’t really want to do anything with it but I instantly thought it was amazing so asked her if I could use it.
I decided the song needed to feel triumphant as we both eventually worked through our religious confusion – so I arranged in a glorious stadium rock Yamaha DX7 Berlin inspired sort of way :).

xb

Hear “No Church On Sunday” below.

“No Church On Sunday” is out today on Mermaid Avenue. Purchase it here.