Paige Bea - Goodbye, Then! (EP)
Photo Credit: Ben Cole
London-based singer, songwriter and producer Paige Bea has released her new EP 'Goodbye, Then!', self-released via The Orchard.
The new EP firmly re-establishes Paige Bea within the alternative pop landscape after a 2 year hiatus from releasing music. To date, the EP has received wide acclaim and support from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders), Spotify (Fresh Finds UK & IE), COLORS, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine, Wonderland, The Rodeo, New Wave Magazine, enfnts terribles, The Pit LDN, Wordplay Magazine and more.
Influenced by acts such as FKA Twigs, Tirzah, Caroline Polachek, Jockstrap, James Blake and Sampha - those sonic touch points are evident within Paige's avant-garde, unpredictable productions as she melds spiralling pop hooks and boundary pushing instrumentals, with timeless songwriting and self-aware lyricism. New EP 'Goodbye, Then!' sees the artist uniting with producers Leo Wyatt (aka KINDER) and Jonjo Keefe (Park Hotel).
The six-track EP explores the obsessions and projections that come with all relationships. From lustful beginnings ("4x4") to shaky middles ("Autopilot" and "Melt"), bitter ends ("Stay Still") to rose-tinted re-imaginings of the past ("The Quiet Of The Hours" and "Goodbye, Then!") - the music aims to chart how warped perceptions of romantic relationships directly lead to their downfall. Part catharsis and part warning signal - the songs are an attempt to take back the narrative and add some much needed glamour and thrill to the tricky process of letting go.
"The production, lyrical themes and aesthetics surrounding 'Goodbye, Then!' are a slow sharpening of my sense of self," Paige explains. "It starts dark, murky and jagged and eventually reaches a place of clarity and peace. The maximalist approach to the EP is a significant contrast to how small I was made to feel - and that was important. These songs are about making myself the main character again and I want this EP to make those who listen feel empowered, sexy and resolute in stories of their own heartbreak too."
The accompanying visuals for the EP were created alongside filmmaker/photographer Ben Cole (Sevdaliza, The 1975, Porridge Radio). After a lockdown spent getting her kicks from horror films and thrillers such as The Love Witch, The Invisible Man, The Witch, Fatal Attraction, Promising Young Woman and Gone Girl, the pair wanted to create another parallel storyline for the EP that tells the story of a supposedly manic woman escaping her obsession. From faking her own death in the cover art for “4x4”, to a ritualistic rebirth in “Melt” to the final getaway scene for “Autopilot” and new EP 'Goodbye, Then!' - serious matters of the heart are given an almost camp 70s horror makeover that adds another dimension to the EP’s tale and mirror Paige’s mantra of never taking herself too seriously, even in the depths of despair.