Wasting Time is the second single from
Princess Chelsea’s album
The Loneliest Girl due
out September 7 on New Zealand based Lil’ Chief Records.
It follows the popular
I Love My Boyfriend (
“a DIY pop song that subverts the rules” -
NOISEY, UK) a deceptively clever 60's garage rock song discussing an internal
struggle with monogamy.
In a similar manner
Wasting Time sounds sugary sweet but is essentially
a diss track.
Chelsea says:
“The
Loneliest Girl album deals with themes of loneliness that come from my
lifestyle as a DIY workaholic. Occasionally I leave the house and I see younger
happier more carefree people (like I used to be) outside just enjoying their
lives together at coffee shops and bars and I jealously long for that again.
In this song I accuse them
of Wasting Time but I’m not sure I really believe that - this is stuff I had to
give up to pursue music and sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it. I guess this
song is pretty bitchy and I’m revealing and working through my insecurities but
trying to be funny about it too :)
I did manage to tip my hat
lyrically to Townes Van Zandt which
is cool.
Musically speaking the
arrangement sounds like early Madonna at the start - but then there’s a bunch
of 1960's Brian Wilson shit going on. Then I peppered it with kitschy Yamaha DX7
synths then of course I just needed the trombone and a choir lol to really make
it all hit home.... I guess it’s a bit of a pop culture puzzle musically
speaking - all the stuff I love. I can’t be bothered with subscribing to any
kind of ‘sound’."The music video for
Wasting Time was shot, edited and directed by
Anastasia Doniants in a day using only ten
minutes of Super 8 film and a torch operated by
YourFriendElectric. Some of the film was
expired which caused unpredictable happy accidents like what appears to be
strange lightning flashes in the sky and the iconic single art shot.
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Princess Chelsea - Wasting Time |
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It's been a
busy few weeks for Princess Chelsea who recently announced her New Zealand tour
dates:
Friday
October 26 - Hollywood Avondale - Auckland
Saturday
October 27 - Sawmill Café - Leigh
Saturday November 10 -
San Fran - Wellington
Saturday November 17
- Blue Smoke - Christchurch
The
Loneliest Girl in New Zealand tour will be the first time Princess Chelsea has
performed to New Zealand audiences in three years. It sees Chelsea and her
band return home after an extensive "Planet Earth" circuit of
the U.K and Europe. She says
“I’ve
got some new band members, which is pretty cool,” she says "and we have
spent the last three months tightening our live set before touring the
album..."Princess Chelsea is currently in Europe about to embark on a 20+ date of 'The
Loneliest Girl In Europe' tour.
The
Loneliest Girl was
recorded by Chelsea between 2016 and 2017 in her home studio in West Auckland,
New Zealand with production assistance from label-mate
Jonathan Bree.
Chelsea’s trademark arrangements featuring classic 80's Synths (Yamaha DX7,
Roland D-50), ambient guitars, and orchestral instruments are all here but are
presented in a more refined and simple manner than on her previous releases.
The album examines the loneliness and ultimately the artistic satisfaction a
strong work ethic can bring, the result of which is this eclectic collection of
pop songs. As a studio based artist Chelsea was conscious of not wanting
to fall too deep into a production hole for her third album and wanted to more
than ever before capture moments of inspiration, madness and spontaneity on
record.
A classically trained pianist, Nikkel lent her talents to self-professed
"circus punk" act Teen
Wolf in the mid-2000's, and later in the touring line-up of indie
pop outfit
The Brunettes. When she wasn't performing, she worked as a composer
for a local recording studio, all the while refining her songwriting and
production skills. Her full-length debut as Princess Chelsea,
Lil' Golden Book, was
released in late 2011 by New Zealand label
Lil'
Chief, and included the viral YouTube hit
Cigarette Duet (nearly
41 million views and counting). The album was a collection of songs about her
youth presented with innocent melodies and baroque arrangements to create a
musical fairy tale. The juxtaposition of her simple arrangements, childlike
delivery and cynical wit is a significant and defining characteristic of her
music.
She
followed up with a synth-heavy sci-fi opera about a future world rendered
helpless in the face of depression brought on by technology,
The Great Cybernetic Depressionwas released by Lil' Chief and Flying Nun in June 2015. She also released a
surprise album of covers called
Aftertouch,
featuring covers by Nirvana, The Beatles, Interpol, Lucinda Williams and
Marianne Faithfull.
Stylistically
The Loneliest Girl moves
away the more uniform synth sounds of
The
Great Cybernetic Depression to more eclectic territory similar to
her first release
Lil’
Golden Book and certainly sounds like a record made by a lover of
pop music across all genres from 60's girl groups to 80's power ballads, and late
80's acid house to 90's pop. Like her earlier work, adult issues are presented in
a humorous and sometimes childlike manner, and this juxtaposition rather than
softening the blow makes jarring social commentary hit harder.
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