I am new fan of Banks. The amount of times I have listened to Gemini Feed and Before I Ever Met You this week confirms it.
As a massive fan of Tove Lo, Youtube had recently begun adding Banks in the mix to my autoplay or mix. I had hear Underdog (2019) a couple of times and the fact that I didn’t hurriedly rush to the skip button helped me decide to look her up. I am glad I did it!
Banks’ music is indie pop and electro pop. Just like Tove Lo, don’t let the genre of pop fool you. There is a darkness and sadness to both these immensely talented musicians that are uniquely their own (Tove Lo blog coming soon).
Perhaps because I am missing my ex and I am going through all types of feels, it was her songs Gimme (2019) and Gemini feed (2016) that got me to dive into her music this week. And dive I did, and came up with the first treasure that is the album Goddess.
Released in 2014, I am shocked I slept on this for such a long time! Her voice, the sequence of the songs and the minute ways Banks delves into the dark side of love and relationships just took over me.
Before I ever met you
I never knew that my heart could love so hard
Before I ever met you
I never knew I would be enemies with disregard
Before I ever met you
I never knew that I liked to be kissed for days
Before I ever met you
I never knew I could be broken in so many ways
“I can see you struggling
Boy, don’t hurt your brain
Thinking what you’re gonna say
‘Cause everything’s a game
Always trying to calculate
Trying to look smart but not too smart
To threaten anything they say”
Goddess is definitely a must listen to album from beginning to end. Personal, universal, emotional and not scared of admitting dark thoughts and insecurities, the switching from her softer vocals in Waiting Game to lower notes in Before I Ever Met you (Deluxe edition) and the haunting of Brain, makes the album an atmosphere album. The production of And I Drove You Crazy (deluxe edition) plays on the title and lyrics so well.
It leaves you feeling as though you’re floating through darkness and light, ever falling, submerging your senses for a short while, only to return to the surface wanting to catch a well needed breath after such intensity.
“I foresee it’s true, that you would love me better
If I couldn’t screw
All your moves that make me wanna run away
But I got stuck with faulty legs
I believe it’s true that you would screw me
If I let you in my bedroom
And if I did then do I try to move away?
‘Cause I know you like mind games”
And I still miss my ex.
*all videos are from Banks official YouTube channel.
Multidisciplinary Artist - Film/Photography/Writing/Art Installations 