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ANOHNI - Paradise EP

  • Published in Singles

 

Buried deep in the concluding moments of Paradise, the voice of an unidentified woman asks: “Everything is going upside down. How are we going to work on it, work on it to make it better? All of us.” Before we reach her words of warning, we have encountered an ominous funeral march intro, a dystopian vision of hell, an impassioned rant directed at Christians and a lot of other people, a song in which a mother repudiates her own child, a song about hating God and, just to finish it off, an ecological apocalypse. It is fair to say that ANOHNI has taken up where she left off with Hopelessness, confronting the ills of the new, fragmented, hate-driven politics head on.

Paradise, consisting of six songs, showcases the remarkable, uplifting confidence of the last year’s acclaimed Hopelessness. Transformed in a new identity, the former Antony Hegarty became a prophet - her commanding voice searing and impossible to ignore on songs such as ‘Drone Bomb Me’. Paradise is a coda, but no throwaway extras release. A carefully assembled set of songs creates a different atmosphere to its parent album, with Daniel Lopatin joined on production by Hudson Mohawke to add a new level of clubby bounce to the pitch dark subject matter.

‘In My Dreams’ opens with rushing winds, a wistful solo organ melody and massed harmonies, but this proves to be a decoy. The organ fades and the big, club beats of title track ‘Paradise’ take its place, full of the snare rolls and Mohawke. Exceptionally listenable, it combines statements of existential despair - “Hopelessness, I’m here not here” - with enormous, stomping beats and a delicate melody, and eerie duck call effects. It is a heady mix. If ‘Paradise’ is the high point, songs such as ‘Jesus Will Kill You’ (pan pipes, a grunty sample, deep bass), ‘You Are My Enemy’ (AHNONI’s purest vocal tones, church organ, door slamming kick drums) and ‘Ricochet’ (the lyric: “I’m going to hate you, my God, for making me this way”, plus steam hammer percussion) deliver the goods. Paradise walks the fine line between eternal Goth gloom and irresistible tunes, while leaving none of society’s ills unaddressed. More power to AHONHI for expressing our collective anger and telling it like it is. 

Paradise is available via Amazon and iTunes. 

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First Listen : White Lung - Sister

First Listen is the part of Musos' Guide where we tempt you in with lesser played tracks from the recent past or this very minute. Enjoy.

 

Paradise is available from amazon & iTunes.

Live Dates:-

October 8 || Edmonton, AB || Up + Downtown Music Festival

October 15 || Brooklyn, NY || Market Hotel

October 16 || Hamden, CT || The Ballroom at the Outdoor

October 17 || Portland, ME || Port City Music Hall

October 19 || Halifax, NS || The Marquee Club / Halifax Pop Explosion *

October 20 || Halifax, NS || The Seashore Tavern / Halifax Pop Explosion

October 21 || Moncton, NB || Tide & Board Gastropub

October 23 || Montreal, QC || L’Atral

October 24 || Quebec City, QC || Le Cercle

October 25 || Ottawa, ON || House of TARG

October 26 || Toronto, ON || Lee’s Palace

October 27 || Chicago, IL || Empty Bottle

October 28 || Fort Worth, TX || Modern Art Music of Fort Worth

November 6 || McDade, TX || Sound on Sound Festival

November 17 || Los Angeles, CA || Resident / Red Bull 30 Days in LA ^

January 21 || Singapore, SG || Laneway Festival

January 25 || Northcote, AUS || Northcote Social Club

January 26 || Brisbane, AUS || Laneway Festival

January 28 || Melbourne, AUS || Laneway Festival

January 30 || Melbourne, AUS || Laneway Festival

February 1 || Wollongong, AUS || RAD Bar

February 2 || Newtown, AUS || Newtown Social Club

February 3 || Adelaide, AUS || Laneway Festival

February 4 || Sydney, AUS || Laneway Festival

February 5 || Perth, AUS || Laneway Festival

* w/ PUP

^ w/ Nicole Dollanganger

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