Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) and her band The Obsession have announced a new album titled “Mute Swan Empire.” The conceptual effort will be released on February 5 via Napalm Records.
“Mute Swan Empire” Track Listing:
01. “Incubus”
02. “In Leta Via”
03. “Tempest”
04. “After Us The Flood”
05. “Good Girl (If You’re Ready To Die)”
06. “The Hermit Song”
07. “Emergency Kit”
08. “One Day They Will Come For You”
09. “Weeping Madonna”
10. “This Is Not An Opinion”
11. “The Villain”
12. “Let The Music Decide”
13. “Incantations”
14. “Starling”
15. “Bells Of Lynn”
Wessels commented:
“I didn’t set out to write a concept record from the start, but somewhere along the way, I began to realize that all the latest songs I’d written were connected. Each of them seemed to embody a different response to the world we’re living in: Denial, complicity, withdrawal, blind obedience, selective empathy, but also hope and connection, and so on. I started to recognize these recurring themes and archetypes, and eventually realized they were all part of a much bigger story. I found myself wanting to follow this thread as far as it would take me, exploring the concept through the music first, and eventually through the artwork and imagery, too. That discovery became the foundation for ‘Mute Swan Empire.’
What fascinates me is how easy it is to recognize these responses in others, and how much harder it can be to recognize them in ourselves. I didn’t want an album that simply points fingers or offers easy answers. I wanted to explore the contradictions, the uncomfortable grey areas, and the possibility that we can change.
Musically, the same freedom to follow wherever a song leads has resulted in a record that moves between some of the heaviest music we’ve made and moments of vulnerability. Despite how varied the record is, I think we’ve never sounded more together like a band. Everyone brings something distinct to the music, and I’m really proud of what happens when all those elements come together.”
The following was also added about the title:
“The title ‘Mute Swan Empire’ draws on the myth of the swan song: The belief that a swan sings its most beautiful song just before death. Throughout history, individuals, cultures, and civilizations have had their own swan songs — final moments of beauty, meaning, or grandeur before fading away. On ‘Mute Swan Empire,’ Wessels asks: ‘What if we don’t get one? What if we’ve pushed ourselves so close to ecological and social collapse that we’ve lost, or no longer deserve, that final act of grace? Will the swan remain silent?’”
In other news, Wessels has also announced a European/UK tour with Melissa Bonny:
02/04 Sint-Niklaas, BEL – Casino
02/05 London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
02/06 Glasgow, UK – Slay
02/07 Manchester, UK – Club Academy
02/09 Paris, FRA – La Machine Du Moulin Rouge
02/10 Zürich, SWI – Papiersaal
02/12 Milan, ITA – Legend Club
02/13 Munich, GER – Backstage Halle
02/14 Zlín, CZE – Masters of Rock Cafe
02/15 Vienna, AUT – Szene Wien
02/17 Budapest, HUN – Barba Negra
02/18 Kraków, POL – Hype Park
02/19 Leipzig, GER – Werk 2
02/20 Hamburg, GER – Gruenspan
02/21 Copenhagen, DEN – Pumpehuset
02/23 Berlin, GER – Lido
02/25 Aschaffenburg, GER – Colos-Saal
02/26 Essen, GER – Weststadthalle (no Melissa Bonny)
02/27 Utrecht, NET – TivoliVredenburg Ronda
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