Daphne Guinness - New Single/Video Out Now!
RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘MISHIMA’
WATCH THE PAUL FRYER DIRECTED VIDEO HERE
STREAM ON ALL PLATFORMS HERE
OUT NOW VIA AGENT ANONYME RECORDINGS
IMAGES & SINGLE ARTWORK HERE
22.09.23 - Daphne Guinness today releases her new single ‘Mishima’ via Agent Anonyme Recordings. Lifted from her forthcoming album Sleep, the track arrives alongside a new video created by the visual artist Paul Fryer and follows lead single ‘Hip Neck Spine’, released recently alongside mixes from Hercules & Love Affair. Watch the video to ‘Mishima’ by Paul Fryer HERE
Recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios, ‘Mishima’ itself is shaped by Daphne’s voracious reading habits from a young age; I didn't have that many toys growing up, but I had a lot of books and they were mainly very adult books. I was reading very deep stuff from an early age. I love information. And you reflect on the information and find out more about it.
This reflection manifests on the psychedelic electronica of ‘Mishima’, named after the renowned Japanese poet Yukio Mishima, who Daphne was introduced to by a Japanese nanny she had when she was between the ages of three and five. Her name was Etsuko, she recalls, and when I was three and Mishima died, my father found me on the back staircase trying to commit seppuku. I said to him, 'I think I'm Mishima.’ The track also features traditional Japanese instrument, the shamisen. I bought it when I was in Japan with my friend Nori. He took me to this man who was about 85 and still making shamisens and they couldn't believe that I wanted it. I was in this workshop about an hour and a half outside of Tokyo. It was so lovely. I came back with one. It's an amazing thing.
The monochrome video to ‘Mishima’ created by the visual artist Paul Fryer was shot between Mustique and Seasalter in Kent. Featuring footage of tortoises - symbolic of a haven for immortals in Japanese culture - bearing kanji characters to represent honourable death (in tribute to the track’s namesake), the video takes cues from the silent films of Murnau & Lang, Charles Laughton and the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
Speaking about the filming, Fryer says; The idea of Yin and Yang is at the centre of much Eastern Philosophy and Western Esotericism. I liked the idea of a dark and light version of Daphne playing hide and seek with each other. The four elements are also very present on the island. It is in many ways a prehistoric environment and man’s presence there feels temporary. Incorporating this aspect also felt very natural and in tune with the mystical tone of the song.
As we had very limited resources I decided that it would be sensible to limit the palette we would use. I therefore wrote down what I called my 1933 rules. This meant no colour, no fancy effects, and no CGI. Simple in-camera techniques such as fades and dissolves were permissible, as was slow motion, reverse and negative. This framework was partially informed by my enthusiasm for Dogme 95 (I had met a signatory to the manifesto on the island) and Werner Herzog’s book ‘A Guide For The Perplexed’.
Watch the Paul Fryer-directed video for ‘Mishima’ HERE
Stream ‘Mishima’ on all platforms from HERE
Though you’ve probably heard the name before, Daphne Guinness somehow resists definition. There’s the close friendships with Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow, the various collaborations with artists & designers, alongside well-respected ventures in the world of film, with Guinness’ name appearing on the back of the Oscar-nominated Cashback, which she co-produced, alongside a role in art film The Murder of Jean Seberg. If you're wondering at this stage what her reason for making albums might be, a better question to ask is why she waited so long. A young Daphne trained professionally as a Lieder singer, gaining a place to study at the Guildhall School of music before life took her elsewhere. “ began in music”, she reveals, “and now I’ve ended up there”.
‘Sleep’ - Daphne’s fourth solo album - continues Daphne’s adventures across music, which reached a new peak with her 2020 album ‘Revelations’ - a sonic tapestry of disco, high drama French chanson and lush orchestration. Between ‘Revelations’ and her previous albums, reflecting upon the nature of loss with ‘Optimist In Black’ (2016) before exploring grander sonics with ‘Daphne & The Golden Chord’ (2018).
Praise for Daphne Guinness
Guinness’ newest release fuses disco, art-pop and ‘80s electronica references - NOWNESS
Music may be just the thing that makes Guinness an icon for the ages - Evening Standard
The silent muse has found her voice - and it sings - AnOther
A spectacular return, one that allows the songwriter to move into a fresh space – Clash
Sophisticated disco by way of classic French chanson - Serge Gainsbourg meets Donna Summer, wrapped up in lush orchestration **** The Times
Daphne Guinness is majestically cool, a one off, and probably the Last Great Glam Rock Star we have - Louder Than War
She has a beautiful voice, reminiscent of the cool detachment of Nico, and she brings a sadness and integrity to the lyrics The Telegraph
Incredible; fresh, wild, youthful, full of her inimitable character, totally timeless i-D
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