Back in March we featured ‘Leash’, a new single from Eliza Edens which signalled a stylistic evolution from their most recent full-length We’ll Become the Flowers. That album was “a collection of songs which plays with the distinction between pessimism and hope in an attempt to understand what survives after the end,” as we wrote in our review, “be that of a relationship, a certain era, or indeed life itself.” But ‘Leash’ was altogether different, “moving away from the introspective glow of the previous record,” as we put it, “and stepping into a newfound sassy confidence.” A different way to explore the darker aspects of our personalities, full of breezy energy and tongue-in-cheek charm.
Eliza Edens has now announced brand new album Death Drive, and the title track suggests the record continues this newfound style, tackling difficult themes with unabashed brightness and even wry humour. As you might expect, the idea is informed by the Freudian concept of the title, Edens finding fertile ground in the fact that brushes with death (be they physical or psychic, from childhood ski accidents, digital breakups during lockdown, or their mother’s experience with dementia) bring a greater appreciation of life. So while there might be a certain recklessness to the abandon with which Edens faces this new era, it is all part of deeper pact to seize the moment while it is still present. A joyous, if slightly dangerous, celebration of being alive.
When I was a kid I crushed a rib while skiin’
Dad said I’m glad you didn’t die
Maybe I was flirtin’ with the limit but baby that’s how you win it
Wanna get tangled up
I wanna love my death drive
Watch the video below, directed by Edens themselves with Mod Schwalbe (DP), Michelle Hanks (editing and colour) and Elena Foraker (title design):
Death Drive will be released on the 23rd October via First City Artists and you can pre-order it now.