The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Animated Matter. “Current” comes off the forthcoming album, Selkie, the first release of the project of composer/vocalist Hannah Elizabeth Cox and multisensory artist David Yann Robert. The album was recorded over multiple years in Boston and is the result of late-night sessions shifting between states of waking and dreaming. Selkie follows a quietly beautiful narrative, shifting styles and moods through the eight tracks, all while transporting the listener to an almost meditative state. Today we premiere “Current”, the album’s second track and a breathtaking work featuring Cox’s haunting vocals which resemble a near blissful lullaby.

The album is out on vinyl and digital February 12th. To find out more about this exceptional album, we spoke with the artists about the release, the myth behind it and more. (see below)

For orders ($22 retail) and press, please contact: selkie@animated-matter.com

-JRS

The Brvtalist: This is your first release as Animated Matter. Hannah, you’re a vocalist/composer and David, a multi sensory artist - talk a little bit about coming together for this project and what you set out to do, if you had a plan at all….

Animated Matter: We were introduced to each other by a mutual artist friend, Flying Lotus and have been involved in each other’s art projects over the years. Through getting to know each other and making music over time, we found that our strongest work was made during the early morning hours in the limber states between waking and dreaming. We both have a strong appreciation for ambient music and wanted to make our own soundtrack to fall asleep and dream to.

TB: The album interprets the Scandinavian, Scottish and Celtic myth of the Selkie. Tell us a little about the myth and why you connect with it.

AM: The myth of the selkie is about a shapeshifting creature that turns from seal into human, most often a woman. In the tale, she is often discovered in human form by a fisherman who takes her seal coat and hides it so she cannot return to the sea. She is ultimately left with a sense of longing for the ocean and a feeling of being caught between worlds in her time on land. We felt like this concept had a strong parallel with our music and its purpose of lulling the listener into that place between the conscious and subconscious experience. Variations of the story are also common to each of our lineages, and it is mysterious, beautiful and dark, like the nature of sleeping and dreaming, so it felt appropriate in many ways.

Hannah Elizabeth Cox and David Yann Robert

TB: Selkie was recorded over multiple years. Where were you in the whole process when the pandemic hit?

AM: When the pandemic hit we had recently finished the music and had just started to press the vinyl at a record plant in the Czech Republic.

TB: How has the pandemic been for you creatively and what’s coming up next?

AM: As the lockdown lifestyle of the pandemic has progressed, we’ve found ourselves spending a lot of time in nature at the nearby coast capturing imagery to represent the visual components of the project. We have taken a lot of footage, collaborated with filmmakers on two music videos, and further developed concepts for future performances once more normalcy resumes in the world. Since the music is about appreciating and connecting with the power of unseen forces of nature, our circumstances of limited human contact have been an opportunity to really submerge ourselves into our surrounding natural environment and stay inspired by it. Our goal for the future of this project is to create immersive, multi-sensory experiences of our work.