PREMIERE: Jessie Monk releases new single and video 'Gold Flowers'
Published: 17 October 2024
Australian singer Jessie Monk releases her new song and video ‘Gold Flowers’ tomorrow, but today you can watch the video exclusively on Women In Pop.
The first single from her second album Mis O’ The Mountains, ‘Gold Flowers’ is a lush, avant-garde folk-pop song with soaring strings and an emotive and at times dramatic vocal performance from Monk. Beginning with a smooth flow and traditional structure, halfway through it breaks down into a surreal, almost disorienting, sparse soundscape.
Recorded mostly live at Berlin's Butterama Studios, ‘Gold Flowers’ features a number of award-winning European jazz and experimental artists, including Fabiana Striffler on violin, Max Andrzejewski on drums, Paul Santner on bass, and Conor Cunningham on flute.
‘Gold Flowers’ tells the story of Celtic goddess Mis who attempts to retrieve the soul of her deceased father through a ceremonial act of drinking his blood before, overwhelmed by his death, she moves into a liminal state where reality becomes a distant concept.
The music video, choreographed by Lily Harding and directed by Christy Chudosnik, follows this story and sees Monk and her fellow dancers in a dream-like environment where Mis faces ten other versions of herself and must kill one in a symbolic act of loss.
'“Mis' story gives us as creatives a chance to express in a subverted and liminal way,” Monk says. “The video is a dream that Mis has the night after she finds out her father has died. You will meet her represented in various forms of herself (white figures), one of whom dies in her arms - a symbol of the psyche metabolising a great loss in a mysterious and subconscious way. This was one of the most stimulating creative experiences I've been involved in working with a supremely wondrous coalition of devoted friends and creatives, who effortlessly rode the waves of inspiration all day on beautiful Wurundjeri country and the banks of the Birrarung Marr.”
Born in Canada and brought up in Australia, Monk released her debut EP in 2021. Mixing influences from Celtic and Appalachian folk, along with contemporary artists such as Joni Mitchell and Wilco, Monk’s music is warm, touching and remains unaffected while featuring layers of sound that always spark interest and take you down different aural paths without ever overwhelming you. ‘Gold Flowers’ is a tantalising taste of what we can expect on Mis O’ The Mountains. It is released tomorrow, but for now enjoy the video below here on Women In Pop
‘Gold Flowers’ is released on 18 October. You can pre-save here.
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