‘This Is The News Today’ showcases Helene’s frank lyricism and ethereal vocals with nods to the likes of Julia Holter and Joanna Newson, fusing this with the gorgeous nuances of the saxophone, delicate synths (James Hallawell) and beats by Alex Reeves (Bat For Lashes).
“The song is about a character that mysteriously goes missing in the book 1Q84 by Murakami, says Helene. “It’s about working out how to reach out to them. I wanted the music to have a dark undertone as if it is from a Hitchcock film.”
The latest single and accompanying album sees the London musician exploring a different musical palette to 2013’s ‘Collectable You’, a change that is partly due to Helene’s maturity as an artist and also the manner in which ‘Exquisitely Hopeless’ was recorded, across two years in a studio in Richmond with [producer] James Hallawell, rather than recorded across the time scale of one week where the songs had already been written (as with Collectable You). “I wanted these songs to have a dusty, sepia, tinged nostalgic vibe, harking back to the 1950’s torch songs,” says Helene “And I think we achieved that.”
‘This Is The News Today’ is available to purchase and stream now.
‘Exquisitely Hopeless’ is out later this year.
