The Ophelias unveil a new single/video, “Salome,” off of Spring Grove, their new album produced by Julien Baker, out April 4th via Get Better Records. As first heard on lead single “Cumulonimbus,” a “bruiser of a ‘f*ck-you’ song” (AV Club), there are “zero songs about break-ups” on Spring Grove. Today’s teeth-gnashing “Salome” uses a Biblical story as a lens through which to view the experience of getting involved with an older man: “The knife // Swings heavy in // My hands // Maybe this was a mistake // I want your head on a platter.” It’s an album standout, emanating swagger through rousing guitar and precise, machine-like drumming. In the accompanying video, directed by the band’s Spencer Peppet and Jo Shaffer, shows the band wandering around a city to gather magic objects.
“‘Salome’ loosely follows the biblical story of (you guessed it) Salome, who danced for King Herod at his birthday celebration and was told she could ask for anything in return,” says Peppet. “She asked for the head of John the Baptist. While I personally have never facilitated someone’s beheading, I find the story and the way it has resonated with playwrights, filmmakers, and artists fascinating — a real depiction of ‘female biblical rage,’ as the TikTok girlies would say. The video is our campy camcorder take on that.”
Watch The Ophelias’ Video for “Salome”
While writing Spring Grove, old ghosts were popping up from Peppet’s past. She heard from people she hadn’t heard from in years, reached out to people she didn’t talk to anymore, and found herself dreaming vividly of ex-lovers, ex-friends, co-workers and acquaintances. At a similar time, she was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, which she says created “a hyper-awareness of the body, a sense of removal where I could see myself from outside.” As a result, the album’s lyrics abound with references to premonitions, future-telling, and prophetic dreams. It’s a luminous document of facing the visages that haunt us, whether those of others or our own. Across thirteen tracks that alternately rage and soothe, Spring Grove picks at the nuanced textures of relationships and the multifaceted nature of personhood, smashing through the infinite refractions of the self to find clarity and new perspectives. The lyrics abound with references to premonitions, future-telling, and prophetic dreams.
While The Ophelias – Spencer Peppet (vocals/guitar, she/her), Mic Adams (drums, he/him), Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (violin, she/her), and Jo Shaffer (bass, they/she) – began as an “all-girl” band, they have since shed the reductive mantle of that label. With one queer and two trans members, these four individuals have collectively explored a vast terrain of womanhood, dancing around the center of that identity and what it means to move through the world. To that end, Spring Grove is primed to tackle a wide array of relationship dynamics, emotional negotiations, and power imbalances. There’s a simultaneous intensity and delicacy in its dynamics, and it’s a marked evolution in The Ophelias’ sound and storytelling.
Watch the Video for “Cumulonimbus”
Pre-order Spring Grove
The Ophelias Tour Dates
Fri. April 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy
Sat. April 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Broadway – record release show
Sun. April 6 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
Tue. April 8 – Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
Wed. April 9 – Portsmouth, NH @ Press Room
Sat. May 10 – Lansing, MI @ Stoopfest
Sun. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Tue. May 13 – Montréal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Wed. May 14 – Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean
Keep your mind open.
[Dance over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]
