A devilish duet hauled from the deep blue sea and inspired by the darkest of impulses that haunt humanity, Hannah and Ed come together for a nautical folk tale that explores the “siren call” of addiction.
“The Mermaid and the Sailor is a hypnotic ‘Sailor’s Lament’ framed as a conversation exploring addiction, between the Sailor (the addict) and the mermaid (his addiction) whose siren song constantly tempts him back into the water. Featuring bewitching vocals from the magnificent Ed Harcourt!”
Like a maritime twist on the Nick Cave & Kylie classic “Where The Wild Roses Grow”, “The Mermaid & The Sailor” is a sensational murder ballad to rival the very best. The song is the final track to emerge from Hannah Rose Platt’s new album ‘Deathbed Confessions’ ahead of its release, which Harcourt also produced and played on. In praise of the new record, Harcourt says:
“Hannah is a consummate storyteller and as soon as I heard her songs I was happily bewitched… I think we’re both very similar in the fact that we are obsessive film aficionados & therefore think in a more visual way in our approach to the music and the sounds. What I love about working with Hannah is that she is very free and totally open to my delusional bouts of grandeur and hopefully you, the listener, will hear the love and the pathos and the dark humour that we have managed to commit to tape in equal measure. Congratulations Hannah and I can’t wait for the world to hear this dazzling humdinger.”
The new single arrives with a fantastical CGI animated video, which plays out the tale of “The Mermaid & The Sailor” in vivid detail. Watch the video here:https://youtu.be/t18bCiBH9tc
“The Mermaid & The Sailor” is the shadowy centrepiece at the heart of ‘Deathbed Confessions’, the keenly awaited new album from Hannah Rose Platt. Deriving inspiration from the dark, the depraved, and the eternally damned, Hannah’s new album comprises 12poetic ghost stories that could enchant you into an early grave. A concept album inspired by classic horror, from Rod Serling’s ‘The Twilight Zone’, to the BBC’s ‘Inside No 9’, and the balladeer categories of Samuel Peyps’; Platt distils them all and more into her latest album. Including songs of ghosts (“The Gentleman”) and ghost trains (“Deadman on the G Train”), grizzly comedy-horrors (“Wendigo Rag”) and haunted houses (“Feeding Time For Monsters”), mermaid-inspired murder ballads and much more, Platt’s latest album is filled with chills and thrills aplenty.
Produced and recorded by Ed Harcourt at his Wolf Cabin Studios, Harcourt also performs a myriad of instruments throughout (Pianos, Drums, Baritone Guitars, Optigan, Backing Vocals, Synths, Percussion), as well as appearing for a co-write on ‘Hedy Lamarr’. Elsewhere, an array of guest players including the Budapest Film Orchestra, Charlie Draper (on Ondes-Martenist) Freddie Draper (electric and double bass), Lester Brown(trumpet), with Gita Langley and Alex Palmer (on strings) all contribute to its unique signature. Mixed by the highly rated Dave Izumi Lynch, the record was given its glossy finish with mastering by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.
A suite of recordings sure to intrigue, disturb, and haunt you for some time after the needle has left the groove, ‘Deathbed Confessions’, Hannah Rose Platt’s magnificent Xtra Mile debut arrives on 19 May 2023.
Launching her new album with a special one-off show at the Camden Club in June, catch Hannah and an all-star band (featuring Ed Harcourt, Freddie Draper, Charlie Draper, Jay Stapley and Simon Hancock) bringing ‘Deathbed Confessions’ to life.
