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LISTEN: Autre Ne Veut is finally back

Autre Ne Veut is an enigmatic, strange and wonderful artist. I don’t remember exactly how I got into him, but I was blown away by his brilliant 2013 album Anxiety – and more so when I caught him live at his Laneway sideshow in Sydney. He was one of the first artists within the electro-pop genre that really got under my skin, and I can safely say that that has not changed.

It’s been a long wait for new music from the New York-based artist, real name Arthur Ashin. In recent weeks we’ve seen him dropping hints, images and cryptic clues throughout his social media accounts. but finally, new single World War  Pt. 2 is here.

Even without the disturbing video clip, World War pt. 2 is unnerving at best, in a way so unique to the electrifying musician. In the words of video director BANGS (Allie Avital), the track – and video – aimed to create “a metaphor for the many burdens we carry with us.”

The clip depicts Autre Ne Veut in a large, mostly bare house. Naked (or so we assume), a fairly horrifying, similarly naked, half-man half-Gollum clings to him, nails digging into his flesh, with a frightfully hollow look in it’s eyes. It’s visceral to the point of upsetting – it’s certainly going to make some people uncomfortable.

The song itself is, of course, beautiful. A continuation of the unique style that Autre Ne Veut has shaped for himself, it’s heartfelt, passionate, and structurally beautiful.

The track will feature on the highly anticipated new album, The Age of Transparency, due out October 2, 2015. It was one of the most passionate live shows I’ve seen, so fingers crossed that another tour is on the cards.

Speaking about the album title, Ashin says, “The title comes from marketing jargon. It’s a term for the place we’re in now, where truth and transparency are just ways to sell things and honesty is its own kind of performance.

“Transparency is an impossibility,” he continues. “It’s more about trying to be transparent and falling on your face in the process.”

For more information, visit the official The Age of Transparency website.

Age of Transparency track list:

1. On and On (Reprise)
2. Panic Room
3. Cold Winds
4. Age of Transparency
5. Switch Hitter
6. Never Wanted
7. Word War Pt. 2
8. Over Now
9. Get Out