A tender, sparse soundscape inspired by the lost relics of ancient shipwrecks resting at the bottom of the river Thames, Mancunian vocalist, songwriter & composer Milly Blue has shared her debut solo single ‘Dancer Teleports into Thames Mud (Kisses Fragmented Self with Tongues)’. Originally written to provide a soundtrack for London-based photographer Holly Birtles’ exhibition ‘Up to your Neck in Mud’ at xxijrahii gallery in Deptford, the track is a beguiling offering that softly spotlights Milly’s intuitive song-writing talent.
Although this is her first solo offering, Milly has been collaborating with an eclectic range of musicians since her teenage years. She provided vocals for Basement Jaxx, toured and collaborated with Andrew Hung (Fuck Buttons), and has performed alongside Beck, Kae Tempest and the Guillemots. Now, she’s applying her multi-talented approach to her own music and is preparing to release her new album, elephant, Baby, later this year. Latest single ‘Dancer Teleports into Thames Mud’ will be featured on the record.
Full of Milly’s lush vocal layers, the track soothes and unsettles in the same breath. “Holly approached me to compose a piece to accompany the end of her exhibition,” Milly explains about ‘Dancer Teleports into Thames Mud’. “Her images were abstract and disjointed, exploring the sheer number of shipwrecks in the Thames and the objects, animals and even towns that have been lost into mud, both along that river and on the coast of the North Sea.
With the track, I wanted to make something haunting and bare. Something that could be ancient and lost. The layers intermittently jar and tesselate and there is a real sense of melancholy in the music. But in a comforting sense. Like loving spirits, visiting you from the mud. Holly, after hearing the track, created a beautiful video to accompany it. I’m really happy and excited about the results.”
Watch the video for ‘Dancer Teleports into Thames Mud’ below.
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Photo Credit: Andre Russell
Kate Crudgington
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