Clementine Valentine, the New Zealand-based art-pop duo formerly known as Purple Pilgrims, today announced their upcoming album, ‘The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor’, out on 25 August via the prestigious Flying Nun Records. To whet our appetites, they have released a delicious single entitled ‘Time and Tide’.
There is a baroque, pastoral elegance to the track, a dreamy pop fugue that envelopes the listener with the glorious dual vocals that positively shimmer in the ether. The billowing melodies ebb and flow across the pounding insistent drums and the the synths and guitars, with strings providing a sweeping gloss throughout.
The duo say of the track:
Without giving too much away, this song is a kind of mantra of radical acceptance. Our songs usually overflow with words and imagery, this one we consciously left open – you’re invited to fill the space in between.
There is certainly something mesmerising about the delivery: haunting and ethereal.
The track comes with an evocative video directed by Auckland-based photographer and filmmaker Greta van der Star (Kate Sylvester, Ingrid Starnes, Penny Sage) that captures the elegance of the track – a performance piece in a stately crumbling home with dance and movement that flows with the music – pastoral and enigmatic. The visuals apparently draw inspiration from American artist and photographer Francesca Woodman and capture a feeling of isolation and a certain detachment.
‘Time and Tide’ is out now and can be streamed and downloaded here.
‘The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor’ can be pre-ordered here and through the link below.
Sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon draw inspiration from their nomadic family heritage, creating music that evokes contrasting moods: ancient and modern, paradise and isolation, beauty and brokenness, ritual and the present moment.
Having grown up between New Zealand and Hong Kong, the sisters gained experience by performing in unconventional spaces and rogue music venues throughout Hong Kong’s abandoned industrial estates, captivating audiences with their blend of experimental noise and futuristic dream-pop as Purple Pilgrims.
Feature Photograph: PICTVRE
