The wait is almost over. The inimitable post-punk legend Brix Smith (The Fall, The Adult Net, The Extricated) is now just days away from releasing her eagerly anticipated album ‘Valley of The Dolls’. It’s a fascinating proposition: a debut solo album from an artist with a storied history, and a record in which themes drawn from years of personal experience are expressed with the liberated rush of a youthful rock ‘n’ roll band.
After the album’s recent singles ‘California Smile’, ‘Aphrodite’ and ‘Fast Net’ earned support at 6 Music, NME, Uncut, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Clash, Brooklyn Vegan and Louder Than War, Brix now shares a final preview of the album with her new single ‘Changing’.
Presenting a shift in gears from those previous tracks, ‘Changing’ sees Brix Smith channelling the fiery grunge dynamics of Hole and The Breeders along with some timeless ‘50s girl group style. While the song’s lyrics muse upon the realising the importance of our own self-worth over the course of time, Brix holds nothing back as her voice pulsates with emotion, singing “I don’t ever wanna be the poisoned branch on your barren tree.”
Brix says, “We’re changing the way it is, because it’s time for us all to feel our value and rise.”
Those themes are reflected in the track’s accompanying video. Brix appears like a guardian angel alongside a representation of her younger self – a visual metaphor for wishing that you could have had the knowledge you now possess when you started life’s great adventure. The video’s closing shot also provides a sweet visual reference for long-term fans.
Check out ‘Changing’ – BELOW:
The release of ‘Valley of the Dolls’ represents a creative urge that Brix has wanted to achieve ever since she was a teenager – and it feels fitting that it came about in a way she could have never anticipated. The Extricated came to a natural end, but she still felt compelled to make new music during lockdown – but what that form would take was unknown. But after a mutual friend set-up a virtual introduction to the Grammy Award winning Youth (The Verve, Jesus & Mary Chain, Killing Joke), the duo hit upon something special. The result is ‘Valley of the Dolls’, a set that’s ragged-yet-melodic and sweet-but-snarling – tones that match its exploration of the dark undercurrent that lurks beneath the sparkle of Californian culture.
Brix will follow the release of the album with plenty more live shows throughout the course of the year, with festival sets at Rebellion and Bearded Theory already confirmed. Fronting an all-female live band which features My Bloody Valentine duo Deb Googe (bass) and Jen Macro (keys/guitar), 2022 saw Brix complete a headline tour as well as play shows with Public Image Ltd and Killing Joke.
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