WA’s Abbe May has had a busy weekend, with her new album Kiss My Apocalypse hitting online and store shelves for the first time. The album has been hovering around the top ten of the iTunes alternative chart, even reaching as high as #24 on the mainstream list.
Reviews have also been pouring in with Rolling Stone saying “May closes her eyes and doesn’t so much sing as reach for the stars. The end of the world should sound so damned sexy”, Herald Sun stating “all over this magnificent record there is a sparse, purple glow that could with May the 2013 Australian Music Prize” and the Sydney Morning Herald providing an expansive tome about the journey of simply listening to this genre-bending, future-facing album * link: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/obsession-and-hunger-at-play-in-abbe-mays-thrilling-new-album-20130502-2itsr.html *.
To celebrate the album’s early success, Abbe has this morning dropped the brand new clip for the third single from the album, “Sex Tourette’s”. The clip is a visual representation of the dark, yet sexy, confident yet vulnerable exploration of the mind that May takes on Kiss My Apocalypse.
The album follows 2011’s AMP-nominated masterpiece Design Desire. A heavy, guitar drenched experimental rock record which opened international doors and cemented Abbe May as one of Australia’s most lauded female artists.
“Design Desire was a deliberate trip into 70’s psychedelia and an intentional marrying of that with reverb drenched enya-esque 80’s vocals,’ said Abbe. “I’m bored with standard rock. I’m bored with the standard ‘cool’.”
Design Desire spawned four singles including ‘Mammalian Locomotion’ which prompted MTV US’ Nic Harcourt to write “Abbe May plays a scorching guitar- she is the f###ing sh#t” and influential blog Popmatters to proclaim “Abbe May is set to destroy the entire rock world”. The dark, yet unmistakable pop fusion of the album achieved a near clean sweep of four star reviews and led to national tours and inclusion on some of Australia’s biggest festivals including Big Day Out, Pyramid Rock and Meredith.
Kiss My Apocalypse is a completely different animal. Minimal guitars. Maximum synth driven doom pop. It’s as if the vocals took over while the guitars were passed out in the bathroom.
“Pop is sexy when done well and it’s incredibly difficult to do it well if you try too hard,” said Abbe. “We wanted to get away from music that took itself too seriously. I’m so tired of this whole shoe gaze – it-cost-a-lot-of-money-to get-a-haircut-that-looks-like-i-haven’t-brushed-my-hair-in-months type shit. “Artists” in denial that they are basically just entertainers. Being an entertainer is more meaningful if you ask me. It’s not such a selfish pursuit.”
http://abbemay.com/
TOUR DATES
SATURDAY 1st JUNE
PRINCE OF WALES
BUNBURY, WA (Door sales only)
SUNDAY 2nd JUNE
STATE OF THE ART
PERTH CONCERT HALL
PERTH, WA www.ticketek.com.au
THURSDAY 13th JUNE
EATONS HILL HOTEL BRISBANE, QLD www.oztix.com.au
FRIDAY 14th JUNE
OXFORD ART FACTORY SYDNEY, NSW www.moshtix.com.au
SATURDAY 15th JUNE
THE GOV
ADELAIDE, SA www.moshtix.com.au and www.venuetix.com.au
FRIDAY 21st JUNE
DING DONG LOUNGE MELBOURNE, VIC www.oztix.com.au
SATURDAY 22nd JUNE
REPUBLIC BAR
HOBART, TAS www.moshtix.com.au