If you’re a fan of folk rock and female vocalists from the legendary 90’s alt music scene, you’re sure to enjoy the newest album by Miriam Clancy, Black Heart, released Friday, January 20th.
The eleven-track record drifts through waves of rage, resentment, and reflection and contains as many inspirations as Clancy’s previous homes. Originally hailing from New Zealand, the artist took up residence in NYC before finding freedom in rural Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Now, she returns alongside her band (Jeremy McDonald, Will Graefe, Mike Riddleberger) to bring her indie folk origin to new heights.
“This album is a tsunami, a spiritual purge – smashing out my big feelings with an insight that growing up too soon has gifted me… hopefully it might help others in a similar situation past/present not to feel freakishly alone,” says Clancy. The intensity of this inner journey is felt clearly at several points throughout Black Heart, such as the soaring chorus to “Kamikaze Angels” and the folk and synthwave-infused story told in the album’s title track.
Information overwhelm, FOMO, and impulsivity in the “handy and beautiful” but addictive technology age are explored at length in “Head Like a Hole:” “Face full of machines / we’re broken it seems / too much of everything at lightspeed.” Finally, tragic piano accompanies Clancy’s haunting vocals as she closes out her emotional exploration in “Guide for All Humankind.”
From beginning to end, Black Heart is a testament to the power of vulnerability and confronting your inner battles head-on through art. Miriam Clancy’s entire discography — including “Pennsylvania” with Frog Holler and 2019 record Astronomy — on all your favorite streaming platforms.
Want more? Discover great music from the DMV and beyond on the Alchemical Records’ Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Emma Downes is a recent graduate of DeSales University in Center Valley, PA, where she studied English and Communication. As a lifelong writer and music lover, she is happy to be incorporating both into her work for Alchemical Records. When she’s not writing, she enjoys getting to know the DMV entertainment scene, drawing, and spending time with her four siblings.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
