13 February 2017 - 0 Comments

Aldous Harding is proud to share the first single and video from her forthcoming album.

Produced by John Parish (Sparklehorse, PJ Harvey) the album will be out in the first half of 2017 on Flying Nun Records (NZ) and 4AD (ex. NZ). Aldous Harding is the first New Zealand artist (Dead Can Dance don't count!) to sign to 4AD- regularly cited as the most influential indie in the world; home to The Cocteau Twins, The Pixies, The National, Grimes, The Breeders and many more.

Aldous Harding’s music is not for the faint of heart. Disarming in its desolate imagery and stark instrumentation, her songs draw from the core facets of life: death, birth, grief and love. There are few happy endings, but the power is in how Harding enters into battle; with a dancer’s grace and a boxer’s stance.

Harding initially ignited interest with her eponymous debut album, released just two years ago. The album slowly filtered out into the world via various pathways; Harding toured Australia, UK and Europe extensively. In 2016 it received a release in the US via Flying Nun and Harding undertook her first major tour there with Deerhunter in September.

With echoes of folk luminary Linda Perhacs, Harding’s work is one step removed from the modern world, lying in the more savage and dramatic terrain where Kate Bush and Scott Walker reside, wrought with a wry wit and tenacious gall.

For her first release from the forthcoming album, Horizon offers an enticing preview. She wraps her voice effortless around a simple three-chord skeleton with poise and at times near violent intensity. The confrontational accompanying video, directed by Charlotte Evans, and produced by Evie Mackay, features Harding's own mother performing a transfixing blend of Aikido and physical theatre in the New Zealand hinterland.

As Harding herself explains:

"I want the interpretation of Horizon to be left up to the individual. It’s for everyone, it’s pretty straightforward. I was listening to the demo at Mums place and she just, got up and started doing her thing. I was transfixed, actually. I thought about how it might look on film, an older version of myself dancing with honour to a song sung by essentially the same face.”

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Photo by Ren Kirk

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