The singer-songwriter and record producer Zola Jesus has released yet another single in anticipation of her forthcoming studio album, Arkhon. The new track, titled “The Fall,” is released alongside an accompanying music video. Arkhon is currently set to release on June 24 via Sacred Bones.
“The Fall” quickly shows itself to be a powerful and hypnotizing display of the fusions of electronic and goth pop music that Zola Jesus has been known for. Pianos and synthesizers create a dark and enveloping atmosphere that can often be simultaneously soothing and eerie. At the track’s midpoint, we hear a massive shift in the song toward a slower tempo and a change in percussion style, showing the versatility of percussionist and drummer Matt Chamberlain. Toward the end of the track, we hear the percussion stripped away as synths are left to completely dominate the soundscape along with Zola Jesus’ striking voice.
The artist has described “The Fall” as an outlet for expressing many of her own personal feelings, including ones that she initially struggled to understand. In a statement, Zola Jesus stated that “I wrote The Fall for myself. It was an exercise in using music as a tool for the sake of my own inner catharsis. I had a lot of turmoil and complicated emotions that I couldn’t process in any other way,” going on to explain that “I suppose some feelings require you to write a pop song in order to fully understand them. For that reason, this song is very precious to me.”
Zola Jesus has described the new music video for the track, directed by Jenni Hensler, to be a refreshing experience and approach to making videos. “Working with Jenni Hensler as a director was such a soul-feeding experience.” the artist explains, “She’s someone I’ve been collaborating with for ten years, and a dear friend to me. I value her own artistic perspective so much that at some point I realized there was no one else I could trust with my vision. We connected on an emotional and spiritual level regarding the intent of the song, and then I handed it over and let her make her magic.” Speaking on the process of choreographing the dance-heavy video, Zola Jesus remarked that “I’ve never felt so freed by a collaboration. And working with choreographer Sigrid Lauren was such an empowering experience. She was able to interpret and support my idiosyncratic movements in a way that allowed me to feel free in the moment.”
Watch the official music video for “The Fall” below.
“The Fall” is the third song that Zola Jesus has released from Arkhon, following singles “Lost” and “Desire.”
Photo Credit: Pamela Lin
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