We may have just told our readers that it isn’t everyday that an American music website gets to introduce our audience to breaking Singaporean bands, but this week is clearly unique. Peers in more ways than one to Subsonic Eye’s ’90s-alt reverence, Blush have announced their own label debut for an influential American indie, in their case Kanine Records. As its title suggests, Beauty Fades, Pain Lasts Forever maintains a balance between blissful dream-pop and noise-addled heartache, if not mixing and matching these opposing poles on occasion.
Case in point, “X My Heart,” the new single they’re sharing today, is mostly sugar-sweet—so long as you aren’t too focused on the lyrics. “The ‘L’ word doesn’t always show up innocently,” shares vocalist Soffi Peters. “It can be an unholy obsession, and that doesn’t make it any less pure. We’re always driven to hide things that don’t look pretty, but as long as you’re true there’s grace in that."
The “pop”-leaning dream-pop tune comes paired with a music video by Goh Koon How that illustrates how the song unravels a bit in its final moments: following “Jared [Lim]’s cool guitar solo,” we learn that Peters’ hard-crushing character isn’t nearly as innocent as she’d appeared to be. “Koon How creates videos with a lived-in quality that feels like a feeling you’ve felt before,” she adds of the project.
Check it out below, and pre-order Beauty Fades, Pain Lasts Forever here ahead of its August 1 release. You can also find the band’s upcoming US tour dates below. Tickets go on sale today.
