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"The Dream Of Delphi" is the sixth studio album by Bat For Lashes that was released on May 31, 2024 via Mercury KX.
Background[]
In an interview concerning Lost Girls in September 2019, Natasha Khan commented she would like to combine the psychedelic rawness sound of Sexwitch with high 80s or 90s "dark warehouse electronica" in a future project.[1]
When Khan announced her Patreon page in May 2021, she assured she would make albums and go on tours.[2] Many fans thought she would take a break due to her motherhood.
On 20 August 2021, Khan previewed new music on her Patreon. but it was up for 48 hours only.[3] On 1 September, she said she was going to spend another day in the studio to work on the album.[4]
On 24 January 2022, Khan previewed a new track on Instagram.[5] A longer preview was posted on her Patreon.
On 13 March 2023, Khan announced she will perform at Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown festival on 15 June at Queen Elizabeth Hall, in London. On a mailing list, she said she would preview new material.[6] On the 20th, Khan revealed the album was being mixed.[7]
On 29 March, Khan was interviewed by Soho Radio, in which she disclosed the album was recorded from the COVID-19 pandemic until her daughter was one year and a half in Los Angeles. It was inspired by the journey of motherhood through the pandemic. She said the music was improvised with synths, piano, flutes, and strings. Half of the tracks don't have vocals.[8]
In the light of her show at Meltdown festival, she revealed the album's title is The Dream of Delphi, named after her daughter. According to her, the album is about "the conception, growing and birthing of this human being onto Planet Earth and the cosmic resonance of that."[9] She previewed three new songs on her show.
On 16 February 2024, Khan hinted that new music was "coming soon."[10] On the 17th and 18th, she released a personal statement about The Dream of Delphi.[11][12] On the 20th, a third statement was released. The following day, it was announced a video would be released as chapter one of the album on the 22nd, which was the first single, "The Dream of Delphi", along with the album announcement.[13]
Music and composition[]
Natasha Khan for her Southbank Centre interview:
"This album started in the middle of lockdown when I was breastfeeding a tiny baby, and I would run to the studio for two or three hours and just improvise. So there's definitely a spontaneaty and a sort of a meditative quality to the music, because it was just my emotion coming through, into my hands and out through the musical instruments I chose that day, or whatever I was feeling that day. So, there wasn't much pre-conception."[9]
She told NME in May 2024:
“It’s quite different stylistically to my other albums because it was mostly fully improvised. There’s a lot of arpeggios, harps, and strings. I just sat down and wrote songs in a day. I added basslines, beats, vocoders – then ran home to breastfeed! It’s definitely a potent, heightened, emotional record. There’s also a lot of space and soundtrack-esque, filmic music on there as well.”[14]
Promotion[]
Critical reception[]
Artwork[]
Singles[]
- "The Dream Of Delphi" was released on February 22, 2024 as the first official single from the album.
- "Letter To My Daughter" was released on March 21, 2024 as the second single.
- "Home" was released on April 25, 2024 as the third single.
- "At Your Feet" was released on May 23, 2024 as the final single.
Track listing[]
All songs are written and composed by Natasha Khan, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dream Of Delphi" | Natasha Khan, Mary Lattimore, Jake Falby, Ben Christophers | 4:42 | |
| 2. | "Christmas Day" | 1:53 | ||
| 3. | "Letter To My Daughter" | Khan, Falby | 2:36 | |
| 4. | "At Your Feet" | 3:45 | ||
| 5. | "The Midwives Have Left" | 2:35 | ||
| 6. | "Home" | Harrison Rodrigues, Bipolar Sunshine, Hudson Mohake, Eli Teplin | 3:16 | |
| 7. | "Breaking Up" | 2:00 | ||
| 8. | "Delphi Dancing" | 2:58 | ||
| 9. | "Her First Morning" | 2:32 | ||
| 10. | "Waking Up" | Khan, Falby | 4:06 | |
| 11. | "The Dream Of Delphi" (Bonus Extended Strings Version) | Khan, Lattimore, Falby | 6:02 | |
Total length: |
36:32 | |||
Credits[]
- Natasha Khan — vocals, producer and writer
- Tyler Karmen — Assistant Producer
- Jake Falby — strings arranger, producer and performer
- Mary Lattimore — Harp
- Logan Hone — Flutes and saxophone
- Brad Oberhofer — piano and synths
- Ben Christophers — Beat programming and additional production (track 1)
Technical
- Tyler Karmen — engineer
- Guy Davie — mastering
- TJ Allen — mixing, additional production (track 6)
Gallery[]
Digital booklet[]
References[]
- ↑ Bat For Lashes on new album 'Lost Girls', '80s vibes, ghosts and what's next (4 September 2019)
- ↑ Khan, Natasha (24 May 2021). "We're losing sight of how valuable music is. I'm trying to carve a new path - Bat for Lashes". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Attention all Bat for Lashes music lover!". 18 August 2021. Twitter.
- ↑ Patreon's message: "I hope you enjoyed last month's sneak peek at the new record. I am actually off this morning to spend another day in the studio, sitting at an instrument to see what comes."
- ↑ Making magic for the new record
- ↑ "Its been a minute London but excited to share I am part of Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown festival" (13 March 2023)
- ↑ Instagram: "I’ve also been mixing the new album this week, so excited with how it’s sounding, and to be sharing this special piece of work with you later in the year too."
- ↑ MOVING SOUNDS with James Heather - An Interview with Bat For Lashes (29/03/2023)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bat for Lashes on motherhood, creation and embodiment | Southbank Centre (12 June 2023)
- ↑ "~ Something is coming ~". 16 February 2024. Twitter.
- ↑ "~ The Dream of Delphi ~". 17 February 2024. Twitter.
- ↑ "Part 2". 18 February 2024. Twitter.
- ↑ "Bat for Lashes Returns With New Album The Dream of Delphi, Shares Song and Video: Watch". 22 February 2024. Pitchfork.
- ↑ "Bat For Lashes on ‘The Dream Of Delphi’: “A cosmic, raw, maternal look at love”". 26 May 2024. NME.