Brighton-based Australian vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Penelope Trappes will release her fifth full-length album A Requiem. It comes alongside news of her signing to London imprint, One Little Independent Records. A Requiem collects ten haunting, ambient soundscapes – incantations of dreams and nightmares, of death and grief, as well as power and autonomy. Carnal, transcendent cello drones are used to exorcise historical and generational traumas in an evocative and macabre piece of gothic experimentalism. The announcement comes alongside her exceptional video for new single ‘Sleep’ directed by Agnes Haus, which features acting talent Maxine Peake and Kate Dickie. Penelope says “As ‘Sleep’ is about a dream my father had and had echoes of Henry Fuseli’s ‘The Nightmare’, I decided to bring that painting to life – me as the ‘sleep hag’, but I needed an actor to be the ‘sleeping victim’. As a massive fan of Maxine Peake’s work, I reached out to her about working together on it. In a totally independent occurrence, I was introduced to Kate Dickie – who I am also a big fan of – and she was nearby and happy to get involved. It was an absolutely perfect cast! Three witches! We all chatted about politics in the kitchen and filmed an unscripted pseudo-horror film about sleep paralysis in a bedroom – and it all worked out beautifully!”
F*ck You, Tammy! release their new single ‘Sycamore Trees’. This track features layered guitars and ethereal vocals, creating a haunting ambiance that draws listeners in. The melody intertwines with powerful riffs, adding to the gripping emotional weight of the song. Devery on the track, “Our live arrangement developed over years of playing shows, and had grown into something so beautiful that it made me have to make this record. “You take me for a walk/ under the sycamore trees” is, to me, about being led into a space of potentially terrifying or sublime transformation, much like the experience of entering world of a Lynch film: I wanted the song to be that invitation, and it’s the portal to the world of the rest of the record. I envisioned the expansiveness of a Bond theme with the menace of Portishead – and instead of being in the hermetic space of the Red Room, I wanted you to follow her into the dark woods, and there she encounters the saxophone solo- the ghostly presence that is waiting for her. The layered guitars and meticulously controlled feedback with the synths evoke the dark woods – the grand piano, the stars overhead and far, far away. The original is beautiful and feels like someone telling a sad and terrible story – ours is that story unfolding in real time.” ‘Sycamore Trees’ video – director’s statement by ioulex: “Listening to ‘Sycamore Trees’ transports you to a mysterious unsettling place, you lose your points of reference and only have the voice to guide you further into the unknown. We love Devery’s reading of Jimmy Scott’s vocals, the way gender roles are rebuilt and intertwined. We start in a dark hallway, and suddenly hear “I got idea man”: the monitor switches on and this voice from another place pulls you down the rabbit hole. Our initial point of reference was Lee Friedlander’s 1960’s photographs of television screens in motel rooms – there’s a Lynchian quality to this series in the way they anonymously transmit pop iconography, there is a darkness and omnipresence in these images. Hearing the track for the first time we immediately thought of Charles Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter – a menacing, meditative unraveling into the abyss, drowning in the ominous starry night sky, floating through the seaweed and being weighed further and further down into the void. Lastly, we referenced Julee Cruise’s Floating Into the Night cover art; she is a revered voice in the Lynchian universe that we wanted to include in homage.”
BEEFCAKE have announced they have signed with Marathon Artists and shared the video to their debut single ‘Angel Food’. The stunning visual offers a first snapshot into BEEFCAKE’s world. The enigmatic and unique duo – Dora and Nuch – emerged from London earlier this year and quickly caught the attention of Marathon who signed them over the summer.
LA-based songwriter Sedona has been cranking out vintage-feeling synth-pop singles for six years now, with only an EP to speak of outside of these loose tracks. And although she’s yet to announce details surrounding her debut album Getting Into Heaven planned for next year, we’re getting another new single from her that matches the euphoric title’s energy. ‘7 Minutes in Heaven’ refers to the long-popular party game, and its bubbly instrumentation mirrors the palpable sense of excitement that comes with anticipating a kiss. “This celebration of romantic fantasy is inspired by the commanding melodies and tongue-in-cheek storytelling of Madonna’s ‘Physical Attraction,’” Sedona shares of the tune, which feels rooted in that single’s 1983 release year. “The fierce, unapologetic nature of her songs encourage women to fully step into their own power in a world and industry otherwise dominated by men. I can only hope my music does an ounce of the same.” With equal amounts of nostalgia to the single itself, the video for ‘7 Minutes in Heaven’ takes the form of bygone infomercials touting 1-800 numbers and credit card iconography. [via Flood]
Jesse Jo Stark returns with new single ‘I’m Yours’. It’s been a rollercoaster summer for the LA alt talent, with her fan-favourite single ‘billie don’t be so mad’ becoming an instant smash. Continuing to move forwards, Jesse is blending her kitsch style with some broader aspects, relishing different layers of pop culture. Take new single ‘I’m Yours’. Out now, it seems to pull together different aspects of Los Angeles mythology, from trash aesthetic through to the sense of vintage Hollywood glamour. It’s a track of duality with Jesse Jo Stark exploring her core binary – the old school femme fatale, and her hopeless romantic side. Out now, the video features the return of Skeleton Man, a character who previously appeared in the clip for her hit single ‘Fire Of Love’. [via Clash]
Lady Gaga has shared a music video for ‘Disease.’ In the Tanu Muino–directed visual, two Gagas are pitted against each other in the presence of a mysterious, gimp-suited figure—eventually revealed to be a Gaga herself. Watch the video below. To go with the new video, Lady Gaga wrote on social media: “I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It’s never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. It makes me feel claustrophobic. Disease is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realizing that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment. Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony. I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life. No matter how scary the question, the answers are inside of me. Essential, inextricable parts of what makes me me. I save myself by keeping going. I am the whole me, I am strong, and I am up for the challenge. Happy Halloween.” [via Pitchfork]
