Photo by Alison Goldfrapp
“Anymore”, the first single from Goldfrapp’s forthcoming Silver Eye, signaled a return to the synth grandeur the band had veered away from on 2013’s Tales of Us. Now, the latest track from the upcoming effort, “Ocean”, shows how even minimalist synth compositions can lead to “a tougher sound,” as Alison Goldfrapp put it.
“Ocean” is heavy with intimidating electronics, like zaps of electricity stalking a victim through a grim house. The pounding, menacing sounds turned out to be the perfect inspiration to spark Goldfrapp’s lyricism on the day she entered the studio.
“I remember coming into the studio one morning and I think we just had a few drums going and it was really basic,” she recalled to Billboard. “Will [Gregory] said, ‘Do you fancy doing some vocals this morning?’ I was really pissed off, in a really bad mood. I was having a bit of a weird time. So I was like, ‘Alright then’ and slightly reluctantly I went into the vocal booth and the words just came out. We tried to re-record the vocals four or five times but never quite had the same sort of atmosphere as that original vocal, so in the end we decided to keep it.”
Take a listen to the first-take improvised track below.
Silver Eye is set for a March 31st release via Mute.