Nick Ward is back with “Jenny”, a new single from his forthcoming sophomore album Year of the Snake, out November 13th. The Australian singer-songwriter, who has previously supported Troye Sivan on tour, is taking a more stripped-back approach on the new track.

“Jenny” is about imagining a life with someone you can’t have, and letting that idea run away with you. There’s a soft-rock warmth to it that gives the song an easy, almost nostalgic feel, while Ward keeps the whole thing close and personal.

“It really changed my approach to songwriting,” Ward says. “I’m usually so obsessed with being quite explicit or diaristic in my writing, which started to become boring and restrictive to me. Both ‘Piano’ and ‘Jenny’ were made on that same Auckland writing trip, and opened the doors to what the record could be.”

Ward was initially unsure about how straightforward the song felt, but that simplicity ended up being exactly what he liked about it. “This song is really just a fantasy, a dream about something you can’t have,” he says. “I think I was initially quite suspicious of how simple it was, thinking that I needed to obscure it a little more, but ultimately the boneheaded directness has become my favourite thing about it. It’s like a fucking Tom Petty song.”