The indie-folk singer-songwriter has curated a selection of tracks by the likes of Oklou, Joni Mitchell, Geese and more
By Rhian Daly 1st December 2025
Credit: Hannah Cosgrove for NME
NME’s latest star of The Cover, Nell Mescal, has created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
- READ MORE: Nell Mescal is countering life’s toxicities with empathy and kindness
The Irish indie-folk artist is on this week’s (December 1) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Nell Mescal’s profile here, written by Lisa Wright and featuring photography by Hannah Cosgrove.
AdvertisementTo accompany her appearance on The Cover, Mescal has curated an exclusive playlist, titled ‘⋆𖦹 going⋆｡𖦹yearn˚⭒for˚｡⋆yearn⭒’. The playlist features the artist’s selection of tracks by Oklou, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Geese, and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
When Mescal was 14, she was diagnosed with Scheuermann’s kyphosis – a curvature of the spine requiring potentially life-saving surgery. With nothing else to do during her extended recovery, she began focusing more on songwriting. “I’ve got no idea what would have happened if I hadn’t had that much time to myself at a time when you’re probably not supposed to have that much time for yourself,” she reflects.
Since then, Mescal has been touring constantly and putting in the hours, and building a dedicated fanbase along the way. Her lyrics have come to mean a lot to her listeners, and seeing them connect with her audience is something Mescal loves.
“I love seeing everyone after a show and getting to hear about why they listen and the songs they really love. I’ve had a lot of people after shows say, ‘I don’t want to trauma dump on you, but this song really means this to me’, and I never think it’s trauma dumping. It’s special to me because that’s why I put songs out. People ask me for advice and I don’t even have advice for myself, but I’m willing to give anything inside here,” she says, tapping her chest, “to help you through your situation.”
RecommendedRead Nell Mescal’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.
