On Oct. 29, Tori Amos will release her upcoming album Ocean to Ocean. In anticipation of the album, she recently released the deeply personal and vulnerable “Speaking with Trees,” and now, the more lighthearted “Spies.”
In this song, Amos evokes the dancing beat of ‘90s and early 2000s pop, while maintaining an airy soprano found in ‘70s psychedelia. The lyrics are playful and kitschy, recounting the tales of all the creepy-crawly bedroom invaders — the “spies” — and her children’s fear of them. The song is relatable for parents who spent the pandemic inside with young kids, and the rest of the album is likewise about our modern concerns, from COVID to environmental issues to the timeless struggle of entering adulthood.
“We have all had moments that can knock us down,” Amos said in a press release. “This record sits with you where you are, especially if you are in a place of loss. I am fascinated when someone has gone through a tragedy, and how they work through their grief. That is where the gold is.”
Although many of these issues are experienced by anyone and everyone, some of the topics addressed on the album are specific to musicians and the return to recording and performing music. Like most artists, Amos could not perform last year, but she did release her second book, Resistance. She is undoubtedly an artist of many talents, from having eight studio albums debut in the Top 10 of Billboard’s 200 Chart to composing the music for the 2013 Broadway Musical The Light Princess.
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