Joan as Police Woman announced plans to release her new album, Damed Devotion. Joan Wasser, known mainly by her stage name, is an American musician. She’s been releasing music under her current name since 2004. The video she just released to accompany her song, “Warning Bell,” displays a long car ride and lyrics that dampen with regret. The sweet tones and compressed drums create a contained echo, an opera house in the backseat of a car. Wasser commented on the song, which Lauren Laverne’s 6Music show rated Track of the Day, saying that it’s about “being a romantic and the naiveté that goes along with it.”
H Spencer Young directed the video for Wasser, who wanted visuals that would accompany rather than distract the lyrics and vocals. “Words mean different things to different people and it’s important to me to allow the listener to have images of their own.” Wasser’s video does not waver from her face as the car continues through a rainy night.
Wasser’s debut album, Real Life, received widespread acclaim in 2006. To Survive in 2008, and The Deep Field in 2011 are some of her best. The Deep Field was an album about Wasser’s personal life. Critics see her as an honesty lyricist and engaging performer. Wasser describes the feeling of knowing a true lyric. “My maxim is: if it feels scary to say it, it’s the thing you must say.” Emotions are the most powerful influencer on human behavior, it is important to follow them creatively.
“I say yes to almost everything,” she admits. “I just want to be making music all the time. I can comfortably say that music has saved my life and continues to save my life. I am a devotee. It’s not something I can even choose or not choose, it’s just what is.”
Damned Devotion is out February 9th on Play It Again Sam. Watch the video below.