After shifting camp from New Zealand to New York City, followed by a left-field move to the fringe of Appalachian Pennsylvania, Miriam Clancy has brought forth Black Heart – a melodic Gen X explosion of heart, rage and release reminiscent of the great female artists at the fore of 90's alt-music and the era's definitive sonic aesthetic.
The album is a reckoning of intensely personal stories of intergenerational history, longing, desire and shattered dreams, into which Miriam breathes life and texture. Her characters come to life through deft storytelling; beckoning vocals envelop and elevate the listener to each narrative of eleven different histories, where gallows humour and ethereal romance frame otherwise heavy themes of death, suicide, addiction, endings and beginnings.
Miriam says, “This record is a tsunami, a spiritual purge – smashing out my big feelings with an insight that growing up too soon has gifted me … It's also calling out the dependency most of us have with connectivity, FOMO and being overwhelmed with too much info—too accessible by our own compulsive hand and laying ourselves to waste.”
Black Heart captures the brilliance of Miriam and her telepathic band featuring Jeremy McDonald, Will Graefe and Mike Riddleberger as they move through intricate clouds of Clannad-esque guitars and vocals, twisting sparse folk-rock deep cuts into fleeting moments of Roxy Music influenced art-pop, and out again via a grand piano apocalypse. All pulled together and torn apart by Miriam's angelic voice, with pivotal moments drawn from her indie-folk beginnings.
“Miriam Clancy Delivers a Powerful Reinvention:
What carries the album are her vocal power and range, a potent sincerity and its broad palette – from Head Like a Hole’s stadium-shaped guitar rock, Fleetwood Mac pop-rock on the dark Feels Like Heaven – to the seductive True-ish Love.”
New Zealand Listener
“With a totally brilliant arrangement, it presents an explosion of sound – a perfect ambiance.”
Cassowary - Roadie Music
“Miriam Clancy builds a beautiful, grand, surreal universe on Head Like A Hole – serenading you with a dark lullaby. There is so much to love here.”
American Pancake
“...her sprawling creativity is expansive – it’s quite amazing – it explodes through the speakers...”
Kamikaze Angels - Ghettoblaster Magazine
Management Contact: JP Winger/Desert Road Records
Press Contact: Xan Hamilton/Susie Says!
© 2023 Miriam Clancy / Desert Road Records. All rights reserved.
