It’s very rare that an artist or band comes along that changes your perspective on music and art. On “Holy Ghost,” Bent Knee have done just that. With blends of rock and pop, they meld together genres and create a masterpiece of sound in a seemingly effortless manner. The song comes from the Boston-based band’s upcoming LP, Land Animal, out June 23 via InsideOutMusic/Sony.
Today, we are pleased to bring you the live video for “Holy Ghost.” The band–consisting of Courtney Swain (vocals, keys), Ben Levin (guitar), Jessica Kion (bass), Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth (drums), Chris Baum (violin) and Vince Welch (synth, sound design)–channel all their energy into the high-impact performance. When asked about the song, Baum said:
“Holy Ghost” is about our self-induced angst as a means of creation and muse. “Art is suffering” is a well-worn trope, and it’s a remarkably easy mindset to fall into. We’re much more comfortable expressing our darkest emotions (we have a wide vocabulary for them), so we chase after those feelings to write about. Whenever life begins to feel easy, our first reaction is typically “is our music going to suffer for this?” Of course, life never stays in one place, and we can always find new depressing material to write about, but wouldn’t it be nice if, no matter how we feel, we can still appreciate the beauty that surrounds us and create based on that premise? “Holy Ghost” focuses on the invention of anxiety for anxiety’s sake. It’s a plea to a creative force from above, begging it to visit, if only you could be forlorn about something.
Be sure to catch Bent Knee on their headlining tour starting June 1! All dates can be found below.
5/19 Victoriaville, Canada @ Festival International Musique Actuelle, Colisee B
6/1 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC
6/3 New Haven, CT @ Café Nine
6/5 Boston, MA @ Great Scott
6/6 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung-Fu Necktie
6/7 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Fun House/Mr. Smalls
6/8 Washington DC @ Black Cat
6/9 Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
6/11 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
6/12 Chicago, IL @ Schubas