Beth Gibbons, singer of the iconic trip-hop greats Portishead, has somehow never released a full-on solo album. Fortunately, that'll change next month with the advent of Lives Outgrown.
Lives Outgrown was recorded over the course of the last 10 years and co-produced with James Ford with additional production by Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris.
Her new single, "Reaching Out," comes with an interactive music video made in collaboration with the visual artist Weirdcore, who's worked with people like Aphex Twin and Arca.
The trippy clip features 3D models of Gibbons falling through a psychedelic spacescape. You can check it out here or watch the non-interactive version below.
"Reaching Out" is the second track that Gibbons has shared from the record following lead single "Floating on a Moment," which was accompanied by a video from multimedia artist Tony Oursler, who previously directed David Bowie's "Where Are We Now" video.
"When I first heard ‘Floating on a Moment’ it literally transported me from place to place, filling me with kaleidoscopic emotions and visions," Oursler explained in a statement. "If possible, I wanted to capture that psychic liquid in this video. Beth's work is so powerful it can lead us through life's forests and fires, revealing glimpses of possible futures. With a voice and music like that I knew we had to make images which are open, somehow speculative."
Upon announcing her debut solo album earlier this year, Gibbons wrote, "As usual it reflects what’s been going on with me internally, my 50s have brought forward a new yet older horizon. It has been a time of farewells to family, friends and even to who I was before, the lyrics mirroring my anxieties and sleepless nighttime ruminations, hence ‘Lives Outgrown’. Not just because of the way we travel through emotional or psychological transitions in our lives but relating more to the time we leave this planet and our motion into the unknown. Something I fear but just need to try and celebrate as a moment approaching, gifting the ability to grow beyond the restraints of this physical world.
"The sound was also a process, exploring structures within my own personal capabilities. I wanted to draw away from breakbeats and snares, focusing on the woody fabric of timbres away from the sugary addiction of high frequencies that satisfy like sugar and salt," she added. "I hope those of you who have been so loyal and supportive over the years along with any new listeners will enjoy."
Tracklist:
1. Tell Me Who You Are Today
2. Floating On A Moment
3. Burden Of Life
4. Lost Changes
5. Rewind
6. Reaching Out
7. Oceans
8. For Sale
9. Beyond The Sun
10. Whispering Love
Lives Outgrown is out May 17 via Domino.
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Tour dates:
May 27 - La Salle Pleyel, Paris - SOLD OUT
May 28 - Theater 11, Zürich
May 30 - Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona
May 31 - La Bourse Du Travail, Lyon
June 2 - Uber Eats Music Hall, Berlin
June 3 - Falkonersalen, Copenhagen
June 5 - TivoliVredenburg (Main Hall), Utrecht - SOLD OUT
June 6 - Cirque Royal, Brussels - SOLD OUT
June 9 - The Barbican Centre, London - SOLD OUT
June 10 - Albert Hall, Manchester
June 11 - Usher Hall, Edinburgh
July 27 - Fuji Rock Festival, Naeba
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