New York indie duo, Widowspeak, announced their fifth studio album, Plums, will be released on August 28. Along with the announcement, the duo released a new track, “Money,” and an accompanying music video.
In a press statement, Molly Hamilton, lead singer of Widowspeak, explained the creative process that went behind the song and music video.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the things we tell ourselves in order to ‘forget’ the toll of our collective actions: whatever makes it easier to forvie what we’re complicit in,” Hamilton said in a statement. “Some of that is related to the environment and how people have trained themselves to tune out ‘environmentalist propaganda.’ We made part of the video at a park in Kingston, NY and the archival footage is mostly pulled from films aimed at employees or shareholders of various industries. The narration for many of them (forestry, agriculture, mining, energy) was surprisingly concerned with the dangers of an environment out of balance… Shows you that we haven’t learned much in the last 70 years. On the other hand, the lyrics are also about capitalism and how it trains us to see everything in terms of value, even our experiences, and we get so caught up in seeking some return on investment that we ignore the damage we inflict (on people, on ourselves, on the planet.)”
The self-made music video draws upon the 1970s with its style of cinematography and wardrobe. Widowspeak discusses late-stage capitalism as the song lends a modern twist to the ‘70s rock sound. Hamilton’s rich voice whispers lyrics about money while Rort Earl Thomas’ soothing acoustic guitars create a captivating and upbeat sound which contrasts with the lyrics and content of the music video.
The band announced the release with a statement on Facebook, explaining the meaning behind the song in depth. They highlight late-stage capitalism and question values in terms of money.
“I feel conflicted sometimes about communicating my fears and reservations as they relate to jobs, purpose, earning, surviving… especially as things feel increasingly dire, environmentally,” the band said in a statement on Facebook. “I either feel like I’m preaching at people who aren’t receptive or just yelling into an echo chamber. Tye lyrics to “Money” are about many things and also sort of direct: it’s hard to think about that which we are all complicit in. I know that culturally we have been sitting with uncomfortable realities a lot recently (especially institutionalized racism) and honestly, capitalism insidiously lies at the heart of so many of the world’s problems. It was always happening and continues to happen. We think of our value in terms of productivity, in terms of concrete monetary accomplishments.”
“Breadwinner” had been the first release from Plum. The group’s last album, Expect the Best, had been released in 2017. The duo also recently showed their support in fighting against police brutality, with Hamilton adding her signature to the list of artists who had signed an open letter calling for police reform.
Plum track list:
1. “Plum”
2.“The Good Ones”
3.“Money”
4. “Breadwinner”
5. “Even True Love”
6. “Amy”
7. “Sure Thing”
8. “Jeanie”
9. “Y2K”
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