Swansongs is a dynamic and powerful reflection of love and ambition, hopeful, energetic and at times chaotic but always captivating. Following her debut mini-LP 222 and Old Rockhounds Never Die, which saw her touring her unique performance style, part Jack White rock and roll folk blues, part electronic experimentations, with the likes of Lets Eat Grandma, Cosmo Sheldrake and Skullcrusher, she returns with her strongest set of songs to date – another fever dream of a record including the experimental pop of Goldilocks, the dramatic string lead Dr. No. Self-described as “cowboy soul, future folk”, NYC/DC artist Odetta Hartman’s sound is both traditional and modern; that modernity often featuring through the spacey and fragmented production of her partner Jack Inslee. “As the first song written for the new album, Dr. No helped to distill recurring themes of shadow play, evil twins, and monstrous myths for further exploration throughout the record. A basement blues inspired by “St James Infirmary” second lines; a doomsday dirge delivered from Victorian gothic tropes; a raucous requiem for lovers lost and former selves. Birthed in a boiler room with touring partner, Freedom, we developed a sonic world to spook imaginations and rattle speakers across the world. Dr. No features more collaborations than any other track on swansongs: the sub-bass was designed with Wyatt Bertz to mimic the electricity used to galvanize Frankenstein; Billy Aukstik & Ray Mason’s horns blast marching orders as if calling to the dead from the front of a funeral parade; ominous organ swells by Sam Fribush create the ambiance of Draculas castle; Adam Reich duets his twangy guitar with my mournful violin to summon the spirit of Mark, who voice is featured on the next track…”
