The idea for the album came while band leader Jamie Stewart was on tour with Swans.

[2] The album features Stewart's voice, Ches Smith on drums, Tim Berne and Tony Malaby on saxophones, Andrea Parkins on accordion, and Mary Halvorson on guitar.

[3] Nina received a score of 65 (out of 100) from the ratings aggregator Metacritic, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews.

[4] Nate Chinen from The New York Times described the album as accentuating Simone's "spooky, unsettling side".

[3] He thought Stewart's vocal style was out of place on "Don't Explain" and "Just Say I Love Him".