Listen to “DANCE” here:

http://nblast.de/CellarDarlingDanceDSP 
https://www.cellardarling.com

“My wish was for the audience to feel unwell while watching it,” says Anna Murphy. “Equally important was that it wouldn’t just be senseless brutality.” It takes a lot to release a film like this. An urgent film that draws on classical motifs as much as it exudes zeitgeist, a bleak metaphor for life that is sometimes just as bleak, for the end of all things. “The prevention of dance is at the heart of the video,” Anna explains, adding, “In the song we pick up on the dancing plague of 1518, when people mysteriously danced themselves to death. That, mixed with thoughts about our modern world and how we treat ourselves and our environment.”

Because music and imagery can also be experienced on their own, two completely different perspectives on the work open up. “Both need each other and were born simultaneously,” says the singer and multi-instrumentalist. “That’s why there are certain connections, of course. I originally had visions of wild dance orgies. But our director felt rather the opposite, as I said — the prevention of dance. And if you listen closely, the music also indicates that: The song is not really danceable.” Yet that’s what it’s called, a rather wonderful contradiction that is resolved through sound and image.

Those who thought they already knew CELLAR DARLING with “This Is The Sound” or “The Spell” will be surprised at how much more is slumbering in this extraordinary trio. And no later than now should they realise how much we can still expect from this band. “We just had to do it“, Anna emphasises. “With us, deliberation and planning don’t really work well, we just do whatever comes to mind.” Nevertheless, the band sees the opus “DANCE” as a unique project. “For us and especially for me, this project was very important. But I think it will also be the end of a chapter. There is a little too much Anna in this song. In the future of Cellar Darling,” she fuels the anticipation, “I hear a different sound. And I’m really looking forward to it.” 

Björn Springorum

Chapter I – PAST:
As you might have guessed, ‘DANCE’ originated in the sessions for our concept album “The Spell”. It was supposed to be another chapter of our story about a girl who falls in love with death, but the song ultimately didn’t make the cut. It wouldn’t quite leave us alone either, so about one year ago, we decided to dig it up and give it another go.

Chapter II – PRESENT:
As rewarding and exciting as the intense work on the concept of “The Spell” was — from creating a storybook soundtrack to putting everything into prose — once it was completed, we were done with it. Anna was ready to let go of that story and rewrote all of the ‘DANCE’ lyrics and most of the music. This time, inspiration came from two sources: the dancing plague of 1518, which is a fascinating story in itself, and an engagement with our contemporary world: doesn’t it sometimes feel like we’re in the process of dancing ourselves to death?

Chapter III – FUTURE:
This song, which we share with you today for the time being only as what it is, i.e. without a flood of images, is only the first part of this extensive project. A collective of brilliant artists has interpreted ‘DANCE’ visually and transformed it into their own world of images. Stay tuned for more…”
 ‘DANCE’ was produced, recorded & mixed by Tommy Vetterli & Anna Murphy at New Sound Studio and mastered by Gavin Lurssen. The artwork was created by Thomas Ott.