New York singer-songwriter Odetta Hartman is today sharing her new single, “Goldilocks” which arrives alongside a stunning visual piece, directed by Bao Ngo. The new track comes as the latest to be lifted from Hartman’s new album, Swansongs which is out March 22 via Transgressive Records.
When discussing the new single, Odetta says: “This Grimes-inspired track first originated as a sassy banjo ditty, written backstage in-between sets in San Francisco. Its next phase jumped into an early 2000s rock vibe (å la The White Stripes) with the help of bandmates Lucy Arnell & Wyatt Bertz while on tour with Lola Kirke. In its final combined iteration – saturated with lyrical references to fairy tales & my favorite musical, Gypsy – it became a bombastic dance bop, a tongue-in-cheek pep talk, a vaudeville striptease, a whip cracking manifesto.”
Speaking of the accompanying video, Odetta continues: “Inspired by the Wizard of Oz technicolor transition, the music video for “Goldilocks” opens in the same black & white locale of “Dr. No”, but now the developing swansongsworld blossoms from Catskills Gothic to Vaudeville Gimmick. The lyrics to the femme power anthem directly reference Gypsy (“let me entertain you, let me make smile, I can do a few tricks, some old and then some new tricks I’m very versatile – and if you’re real good, I’ll make you feel good, I want your spirits to fly”) so we wanted to bring some old school stage silliness into the visual accompaniment.”
Watch/listen to “Goldilocks” HERE
Following her debut mini-LP 222 and 2018’s Old Rockhounds Never Die, which saw her touring her unique performance style, part Jack White rock and roll folk blues, part electronic experimentations, with the likes of Let’s Eat Grandma, Cosmo Sheldrake and Skullcrusher, Odetta returns with her strongest set of songs to date on Swansongs – another fever dream of a record including the experimental pop of “Goldilocks”, the dramatic string lead single “Dr No.” and her radical re-working of the traditional “Motherless Child” first made famous by her namesake Odetta.
Equally inspired by AG Cook’s Apple & New Orleans trad jazz, the musical mixology of these songs cycle spans various genres of folk, americana, pop, punk, soul, ambient & spiritual. Lyrically, it tenders the tension of two truths in opposition, through its inquisition of the interplay between fear and desire. Dichotomy is at the heart of this deep exploration into shadow work, mythological musings, healing frequencies, eclectic expressions, and the art of sculpted sound.
Constrained by the unique circumstances of modern isolation, Odetta and her co-producers – Alex Friedman and Wyatt Bertz – production style was mitigated by the digital interface of remote collaboration. Synthesizers worked overtime to translate plunky banjos into lush wooden textures and shape white noise transitions into ASMR delights. They cast the widest nets in spite of life’s limitations and diligently discovered the unexpected inside jokes. Versions upon versions ended up on the cutting room floor until the songs resembled quilted sound collages woven by their three meticulous hands. Together they sharpened their tools and created a cathartic snapshot to capture the lightning of the historic moment.
Swansongs is a dynamic and powerful reflection of love and ambition, hopeful, energetic and at times chaotic but always captivating.
