Jarboe Drops Mysterious New Song “Man Of Hate”

Singer-songwriter Jarboe released a new track titled “Man of Hate.” Jarboe, formerly known as one of the prominent members of the New York City-based band Swans, brings us an ominous sonic experience with this track. The track opens with a haunting vocal sample and a blown-out cord that sounds like you are walking through an empty, echo-inducing tunnel.

Jarboe’s vocals borderline whispering, as she breathily sings “Take pity please, Lord Misery.” Jarboe sings like she’s praying to a spirit she cannot see. This ghostly tone bleeds through the rest of the track. At the two minute mark, an acoustic guitar comes in along with clashing bells. At this point, Jarboe begins to sing in a higher register.

This shift in voice aligns with the track progression. Jarboe’s higher pitch illustrates a frantic tone. At the five minute mark, the rhythm that was built up is abruptly cut off by a glitch. Instead of music, the song turns into an eruption of unsettling applause by a large audience.

The track ends on a softer note, the applause has ended.  Jarboe comes full circle to the beginning of the track. With bare-bones instrumentation, she ends “Man of Hate” the same way she started.

The video for “Man of Hate” reflects the mysterious aesthetic of the track. The video is shot in all black and white, with clips of plants and concrete. The video seems to be shot in a corridor of some sort. It has a lo-fi visual style to it. Towards the end of the video, hands pop in, and the viewer sees the face of a woman looking at something they cannot see.

The video ends with the silhouette of a woman sitting next to a fire. Then the screen fades to black. The song itself and the video work in a sort of harmony, they compliment each other.

Jarboe is releasing her new album Illusory April 17th.  Consouling Sounds state that: “With Illusory, JARBOE bewitches her audience with haunting vocals as her constant forward-thinking approach makes it feel like traveling through uncharted territory, where her siren-like voice leads the way. Or perhaps, as the dark and brooding nature of the album captivates you, will lead you astray.”

You can preorder Illusory here.