By Kerry Doole
Bodywash - Perfect Blue (Light Organ Records): Bodywash (not to be confused with Polaris Prize winner Backxwash), the Montreal-based duo of Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter, release a new album, I Held the Shape While I Could, tomorrow (April 14), on Vancouver indie label Light Organ Records.
Perfect Blue is the final advance single/video, following the well-received No Repair and Massif Central, and it's another winner. Of the track, Steward states in a label press release: “Perfect Blue takes its name and its inspiration from Satoshi Kon’s 1997 animated film. The themes of internal conflict and losing one’s sense of self really resonated with me when I first watched it during the winter of 2021.
"Perfect Blue (the song) is an exploration of the many facets of my own cultural identity. Being both British and Japanese has often felt like a compromise. While it might be easy to romanticize this duality, the reality is that it’s impossible to wholly belong to either culture. What has brought me some solace in the past is their shared appreciation for shoegaze, and Perfect Blue is an ode to this common cultural heritage. We stacked breathy digital synths (inspired by Masahiro Ikumi’s ominous soundtrack) atop a wave of viscous fuzz guitars in search of a “perfect blue” - a colour the shade of renewal.”
The mix of guitars and synths works perfectly, resulting in a shoegaze meets psychedelia vibe complemented by the trippy video, and there are enough dynamic changes in the tune to hold your interest.
The album is the duo's follow-up to the 2019 debut Comforter. Alongside I Held the Shape While I Could, Bodywash will release Take Form, a 30-page booklet that expands the world of the album. Designed by Yoon Rachel Nam (Desert Bloom, Cedric Noel), Take Form features the complete album lyrics alongside poems, a short story, and guitar tabs by Long Decter and Steward, as well as art by Kristina Pedersen. It has a 50-copy limited run.
Bodywash started a short North American tour last night (April 12) in Toronto. Upcoming shows include Live on Elgin in Ottawa (April 13), La Sotterenea in Montreal (April 15), and gigs in Boston, Philadelphia, and NYC. Itinerary and tickets are here.
Links
Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat
