A sultry, slinky dose of emotive alt-rock with intense, searing guitar riffage and impassioned vocals, Sleater-Kinney have released 'Untidy Creature' – the closing track from their forthcoming new album, 'Little Rope'.
The accompanying music video features Australian free-diver Amber Bourke, who amazingly holds her breath for the the song's three-and-a-half minute duration."'Untidy Creature' was the first song we wrote for 'Little Rope'," shares the band, now comprised of core members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. "Although we didn't know it at the time; we weren't certain we were even working on another record.
"We also worried it had come too easy, the song featured two elements that come very naturally to Sleater-Kinney: a big guitar riff, an even bigger vocal.
"But as the year wore on, and our choices and bodily autonomy shrank, our feeling about the song changed. It became a gift, somewhere to put our darkest fears, and our deepest hopes. We sometimes feel trapped or angry, and yet still we breathe.
"For the video, we wanted imagery that spoke to the themes which permeate 'Little Rope': uncertainty, restlessness, urgency, all of the in-between and discomfiting states with which we're forced to reckon," adds Sleater-Kinney.
"So, we came up with the idea of a woman holding her breath in a bathtub for the duration of the song, unsure of her motivations, not knowing whether she's seeking escape, disappearance, absolution, or simply a moment of quiet and reprieve.
"We love the tension created by an act that defies both custom and comfort."
'Untidy Creature' follows earlier 'Little Rope' singles 'Say It Like You Mean It' and 'Hell'.
Recorded at Flora Recording and Playback in Portland, Oregon, with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton, 'Little Rope' will be released on 19 January, 2024. Pre-order it.
