Soap&Skin returns with ‘Torso’, their first album in 6 years

There have been a couple of singles in between, but Anja Plaschg aka Soap&Skin is bringing a new album ‘Torso’ out on the 22nd of November. The experimental neoclassical darkwave artist is known for mixing haunting piano, bombastic string arrangements and wild electronic elements together to create visceral experiences. A lot of this comes from her personal experiences, trauma, grief and pain and Anja refers to “bumps along the road” when she announced ‘Torso’ last week.

‘Torso’ is a full-blown covers record. It has been a while since I’ve been so intrigued and excited to hear a unique artist recontextualise other artists work but Soap&Skin has never released anything half-heartedly. I expect to hear the Austrian artist adding her own gothic twinkling twist on all the tracks. She is even covering her own track ‘Voyage Voyage’. The album was recorded with an ensemble in Vienna and other covers will include Cat Power’s ‘Maybe Not’, David Bowie’s ‘Girl Loves Me’, Tom Waits’ ‘Johnsburg, Illinois’, Janis Ian’s ‘Stars’ and ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ by The Velvet Underground. The album has a secret digital bonus track of Lana Del Ray’s ‘God’s and Monsters’ too.

Enjoy Soap&Skin taking on the Sufjan Stevens song ‘Mystery of Love’ below. It is delightfully underplayed and subtle. For more info on all things Soap&Skin visit her website or pre-order links.

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