The Los Angeles composer and multi-instrumentalist claire rousay makes a whole lot of music. Last year, rousay released her excellent, relatively accessible album sentiment. Since that LP's release, rousay has made an EP with regular collaborator more eaze, helped out on tracks from Grumpy and William Tyler, and released a reimagined score for the 1980 Slovakian animated film The Bloody Lady. That sounds like a lot of work, but it's not enough. Now, there's another claire rousay album on the way.
On Halloween, rousay will release the new album a little death. According to a press release, the new record is part of a trilogy with two of her past records, 2020's a heavenly touch and 2021's a softer focus, and it takes her away from song structures and back into the realm of pure mood. rousay says, "sentiment was a different way of working that helped refresh my music-making habits and usual flow. This record is a return to what I see as my core solo practice, a re-dedication to those methods of working which I’ve found most align with what I envision my music or sound to be."
The list of a little death contributors includes past clare rousay collaborators more eaze, Gretchen Korsmo, Andrew Weathers, and Alex Cunningham. The lead single is a tingly instrumental that seems to be called "just (feat. m sage)." The track does, in fact, feature clarinet, electronics, and piano from Colorado ambient musician M. Sage, but it's not a song called "just" that features M. Sage. Does that make sense? claire rousay also has a North American tour coming up, including some dates where she'll perform her The Bloody Lady score along with the film. Below, check out "just (feat. m sage)," the tracklist for a little death, and rousay's tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "i couldn't find the light"
02 "conditional love"
03 "just (feat. m sage)"
04 "somehow"
05 "night one"
06 "doubt"
07 "somewhat burdensome"
08 "a little death"
TOUR DATES:
9/03 - Miami, FL @ Coral Gables Art Cinema *
9/06 - Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival
9/09 - Lorain, OH @ Lorain Cinematheque
9/10 - Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater *
9/11 - Nashville, TN @ Random Sample
9/12 - Asheville, NC @ Revolve
10/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
11/04 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
11/06 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
11/07 - Seattle, WA @ Here-After
11/22 - New York, NY @ Powerhouse Arts
11/30 - Chicago, IL @ Constellation
12/02 - Toronto, ON @ Standard Time
12/03 - Montreal, QC @ Toscadura
12/04 - Somerville, MA @ The Rockwell
12/05 - East Meredith, NY @ West Kortright Center
12/06 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church, Chapel
12/07 - Baltimore, MD @ 2640 Space
* screening/live performance of The Bloody Lady
a little death is out 10/31 on Thrill Jockey.
