It’s only been three months since the release of her album The Hope Six Demolition Project, but PJ Harvey is back with a new song Guilty.
The previously unreleased track was recording last January at Somerset House at the same time as her album. During this time, Harvey allowed audiences to see her recording process and the hard work artists put into the making of an album, as a kind of interactive art installation. The follow-up to 2011’s Let England Shake, and her ninth overall album, shot up to number one in the UK and number seven on the ARIA charts after its release.
The drums introduce the song to our ears as the beat fades in while low-pitched voice begins to chant. The heavy drums give the song a strong, gritty feel that pounds behind her powerful voice. The track has a troubling sound that thumps its way through the lyrics about the absence of justice and the objection against conflict.
“Drones that come/ Come in the thousands/ But nobody asked us/ If we wanted them,” she sings.
The song was released on YouTube with an image of an artwork by Michelle Hennings, as you can see below.
Harvey is currently preparing for her recently announced European tour. She will start in August in Norway and will run through until November as she stops in Iceland. She leaves room for a couple of shows in the US. No Australian dates have been announced, but perhaps we can look forward to some in coming months. You can visit her website for more details.
Guilty is available now.
Image: Spin