The inimitable and boundary pushing Róisín Murphy returns with a brand new single, “Fader”, the third puzzle piece to be taken from her highly anticipated upcoming album ‘Hit Parade’, produced in collaboration with electronic music auteur DJ Koze. Set for release via Ninja Tune, the bountiful 13-track album eloquently blurs genre and pushes sonic boundaries across its vivid and captivating runtime. “Fader” comes accompanied by a self-directed video and in a full circle moment is set against the backdrop of Murphy’s hometown of Arklow.
Presented in striking black and white – influenced by classic hip-hop videos of the early 90s – and also conceptualised by Murphy, who continues to steer all the creative direction of each of her projects, the “Fader” visual enlists the help of 150 Arklow locals, with the roads of Murphy’s hometown being closed off to recreate a street parade bursting with verve and life. Weaving through a troop of Irish dancers, majorettes, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and a brass band in tow, Murphy’s creative vision is brought to vivid life across the full track’s runtime. Having grown up in the town and leaving as a child to travel the world, it is difficult not to tap into Murphy’s sense of unification and fulfilment, shining a light on the brilliant people of Arklow.
“This idea came to me partly in reaction to making such surreal and ‘other’ imagery for the album artwork, and partly in response to the track itself. I felt I needed a totally authentic space in which to perform Fader. The song is about life & death & music and so I went home to where it all started for me. Just as in the music there’s a huge hip-hop influence on the video, and for me to have the sheer front for that, it needed to ring true and so my home town, Arklow was in fact, the only option. It was a huge task to take on, connecting with local government counsellors because we had to close the high street and then, with local groups of all kinds, musicians, dancers, scouts, majorettes, farmers, fishermen etc and much of my family… doing something like this is a massive responsibility and it threatened to overwhelm me at times. But on the day we had Hollywood sunshine and just an incredible sense of goodwill. The people of Arklow made me so proud. It truly turned out to be one of best days of life…”
A polymath in every sense of the word, Murphy gives each release an entirely fresh and distinct visual identity, and beguiling ‘Hit Parade’ is no different. Overseen by Murphy, the artwork features herself, photo-montaged into an AI generated image from artist Beth Frey, graphic design by Bráulio Amado and commissioned by creative studio Object & Animal (who have previously worked with the likes of FKA Twigs, Caroline Polachek and Shygirl).
“Fader” possesses a Daisy Age sampladelic hip-hop verve that practically transports the listener to another plane of sound entirely. The steady shuffle and swing of breakbeat drumwork rattles beneath Murphy’s prophetic lyricism – “off to meet my maker, when I’m good ready”. Lucid instrumentation and warping vocal effects are deployed by DJ Koze throughout the track with grandiose effect, providing a luscious environment for Murphy’s existential playfulness to thrive.
“Fader” follows “The Universe”, “CooCool”, and a limited edition white label release of “Can’t Replicate 12” Edit”, which ignited clubland at the start of the year, being championed by the likes of Daniel Avery, Peggy Gou, Jamie xx and many more. “Can’t Replicate” was also used as the soundtrack to the Chanel AW23 runway show during Paris Fashion Week in March.
With the forthcoming album ‘Hit Parade’, Murphy continues her ever evolving, shape-shifting 30 year career, looking towards the future by joining forces with DJ Koze to conjure blissful music that teems with life and imagination. A hyper-modern record which is a world away from 2020’s critical and commercial success of ‘Róisín Machine’, it further cements Murphy as a total one of a kind at a creative peak, a constantly inquisitive and restless spirit who is unmatched.
Continuously pushing boundaries in both recording and live-settings, Róisín Murphy’s capacity to be an ever-evolving performer is a spectacle in itself. From live-streamed lockdown events to headline appearances at Glastonbury West Holts Stage, Homobloc, a sold-out Brixton Academy, Coachella and Primavera Sound, Murphy consistently proves to be a thrilling must-see artist in every sense of the word.
From her time growing up in the Irish town of Arklow, music seemed to call Murphy almost instantly, from the moment she discovered the power of her own voice at the age of 10 through performance of the eternal showtune classic “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” at a local poetry festival.
After a brief flirtation with noise and punk in Manchester’s confines, she hitched over to Sheffield at 19 to immerse herself in the club scene. A chance meeting with local bassist Mark Brydon led the pair to form the celebrated group Moloko, and from there Murphy’s decorated solo career has spanned 5 lauded albums (with a Mercury Music Prize nomination for 2015’s ‘Hairless Toys’), celebrated EP and single collaborations, and more recently video directing and acting accolades.
‘Hit Parade’ Trackslist
1. What Not To Do
2. CooCool
3. The Universe
4. Hurtz So Bad
5. The House
6. Spacetime
7. Fader
8. Free Will
9. You Knew
10. Can’t Replicate
11. Crazy Ants Reprise
12. Two Ways
13. Eureka
