Psychedelic post-punk outfit Mayflower Madame are about to unleash a new wave of their dark and distinctive blend of post-punk, shoegaze and psychedelia on their forthcoming album ‘Prepared for a Nightmare’, to be released in late March via French label Only Lovers Records, in collaboration with Portland’s Little Cloud Records and Parisian label Icy Cold Records. Ahead of that, they present the lead track ‘Vultures’.
The video was directed by Astrid Serck, who has also done three previous videos for Mayflower Madame, as well as the cover art for the upcoming LP. She recreates the mood of the song by visualizing a hypnotic, partly controlled chaos filled with tension with a combination of collage animations and video imagery, including live footage of the band and a dance sequence by Norwegian drag artist Remi Johansen Hovda.
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Mayflower Madame is Trond Fagernes(vocals, guitars, bass), Håvard Haga (guitars) and Ola J. Kyrkjeeide(drums).
“Vultures’ was one of the first songs we wrote for the new album. We instantly liked the combination of the insistent, driving beat with the swirling, hypnotic guitars. It was all done rather quickly, piece by piece just seemed to fall into place naturally. The song shows our roots in post-punk and psychedelia, while also bringing in something new compared to our previous stuff,” says Trond Fagernes.
“The lyrics revolve around feelings of excess, lust and greed, always wanting and needing more, never getting enough, and how one sometimes can seem to push things further and further like we’re waiting and almost longing for everything to burst. It’s a not a coincidence that this also reflects concerns about how modern society in general is evolving.”
Mayflower Madame formed in 2011, at first rehearsing in a desolate industrial building where they shared space with a carwash company. Their hazy, smoke-laden sound was conceived naturally amidst these gritty surroundings. The band soon recorded a four-track demo. leading them to be named ‘Unsigned Band of the Week’ on one of Norway’s biggest radio stations.
After a few years of playing shows across Scandinavia, carefully honing their sound along the way, Mayflower Madame finally released their debut album ‘Observed in a Dream’ in 2016. Through eight tracks of theatrical psych-gaze exploration and dark romanticism, the album conveyed the wintry feeling of their home country – icy and gloomy, haunting and majestic.
Tours in North America and Europe followed, followed by the ‘Premonition’ EP in 2018, a 4-track collection of apocalyptic love songs, and more touring and festival circuit in France, Germany, UK and Eastern Europe between recording sessions for their second LP.
Mayflower Madame has shared the stage with bands like Killing Joke, Moon Duo, Night Beats, Psychic Ills, Froth, The Underground Youth, Crocodiles, Cosmonauts and La Femme.
Their much-anticipated second album ‘Prepared For A Nightmare’ sees the band delving even deeper into their own distinctive blend of psych-noir and post-punk with elements of shoegaze and noise-rock.
As of February 4, ‘Vultures’ will be available across digital platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. ‘Prepared for a Nightmare’ will be released on March 27.
CREDITS
Trond Fagernes – vocals, guitars, bass
Håvard Haga – guitars
Ola J. Kyrkjeeide – drums
Kenneth Eknes – synth on all tracks except 2, 6 & 7
Petter G. Marberg – bass on track 1 & 10
Songs written by Mayflower Madame / Trond Fagernes
Recorded by Trond Fagernes & Ola J. Kyrkjeeide at MaMa Studio, Oslo
Mixed by Bob de Wit (track 1, 5, 6 & 7), James Aparicio (track 2, 3 & 4) and James Trevascus (track 8, 9 & 10)
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio, New York
TOUR DATES
March 27th – Desert Stars Festival – Joshua Tree
March 28th – Bar Sinister – Los Angeles
March 29th – Whistle Stop – San Diego
March 30th – Lunchbox – Phoenix
March 31st – TBA
April 1st – TBA
April 2nd – Lo-Fi – Seattle
April 3rd – Out From The Shadows Festival – Portland
April 4th – Elbo Room – Oakland
Mayflower Madame photos by Sven Santelmann
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