Belaver shares new single & video “Here It Comes” via Under The Radar.
Belaver (former frontman of doom-folk band listenlisten) is the solo project of NYC-based alt-folk singer-songwriter B.E. Godfrey. Inspired by artists like Leonard Cohen and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Belaver sings melancholic songs with a hint of the surreal, delivered in a heartbreaking bravado. Recorded in Feb of 2020 and produced by Texas country musician Robert Ellis, “Here It Comes” marks a return to live instrumentation and a pivot towards fuzzier arrangements.
Belaver explains the origins of the song and video:
“I wrote this song last year while reflecting on the fragility of the small worlds we create. It’s so easy to forget how little it would take to upheave our lives. Once you find yourself overly comfortable you should poke at it and unsettle your situation for the sake of a healthy perspective. The more comfortable your station in life the more responsibility you have to question the validity of the system allowing that comfort… since it is most likely at someone else’s expense.
I was fortunate enough to have tracked this song in a studio before most people knew what COVID-19 was. However, for the music video I was forced to get creative and had to shoot with my partner in our little Chinatown tenement during the pandemic. We spent our weekends with a green screen filling the entire room. One weekend I was writhing around the floor like I’m floating in space, the next I was covered in homemade slime. I edited it all together with old film footage from archive.org.”
True Love Of Crime (lp), released in 2019 and also produced by Ellis, is a more polished contrast to the new single, lush with electronic elements around themes of criminal lovers on the run. In 2014, Godfrey released his debut solo EP, featuring collaborations with Robert Ellis & Deep Cuts’ Chase Harris. Drawing on the dark lyricism of his work with, Wild Desperation was a five-track EP full of elegantly stark instrumentation and ominous narratives about murderous men.
Belave (buh-lay-ve) means ‘to wash all over’ or ‘to refresh, strengthen oneself, rest’ —
Belaver (bell-ah-ver) is ‘one who washes over’ or ‘one who is refreshing in rest.’
Belaver
Here It Comes
(Self-Released)
Release Date: Dec. 14, 2020
