There are too many reasons to love the work of Joan Didion (probably too many reasons to not, some might argue), but one is her writing on grief and loss. “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it,” Didion remarked in “The Year of Magical Thinking.” This lone pull might seem like an obvious statement, but there’s much to take from life changing “in the instant” (“The ordinary instant”). Grief is endemic to living, something left-field electronic maverick Penelope Trappes knows all about.
Trappes, who is primarily known for her work with partner Stephen Hindman in The Golden Filter — and for her Locke and Priscilla Sharp projects — attempts to squeeze beauty and meaning from life’s grief in the follow-up to her debut album Penelope One, the logically-named Penelope Two, out October 26 on Houndstooth.
“When this album was being written, I was surrounded by two of my dearest friends and their grief. It stirred something so deep inside of me, something that needed to surface,” she tells Tiny Mix Tapes. “I wanted so badly to talk with them…and more importantly listen to their stories. I wanted to understand the mystery of death, understand their pain and try to help them heal. I often wondered if this was something selfish, but no, it just became imperative to connect with them on the deepest level.”
Trappes and Houndstooth have shared the first single off Penelope Two, entitled “Carry Me,” and it is an alluring and seductive unfolder that is transformative, despite its minimal, measured moves. Speaking about the track, Trappes states “Carry Me” “is a mantra to stay hopeful and focused on the intangible beauty of love inside us, that reminds us of our destination, never forgetting the memories that lift you up.”
In a time of when building up the courage to cross the front door threshold has become a severe undertaking, and when music lovers are moving far away from the rotten popular music charts for something that speaks to their real lives, “Carry Me” is unique music, because Trappes’ vision is unique and shows us the way to deal and heal. Carry on, then, and pre-order Penelope Two here.
Penelope Two tracklisting:
01. Silence
02. Connector
03. Burn On
04. Kismet
05. Carry Me
06. Maeve
07. Exodus
08. Farewell
09. For You
10. Nite Hive
More about: Penelope Trappes
