Soap&Skin shares "The End" from TORSO, out 22nd November on Play It Again Sam
PRE-SAVE: ‘THE END’
https://soapandskin.ffm.to/the_end
PRE-ORDER: ‘TORSO’
https://soapandskin.ffm.to/torso
“Jagged edges and claustrophobically intense”
NME
“Sombre, steady, implacable”
The Quietus
“A prodigious talent emerge”
Clash Magazine
“Prepare to bow down to the new Queen of Singing Sad Piano-Based Songs”
Drowned In Sound
Anja Plaschg alias Soap&Skin has always had a special talent for reinterpreting songs with her own unique approach. Her newest eight-minute-plus take on ‘The End’ originally released by The Doors in 1967 will be released after the US-elections, being the grim soundtrack to a 2nd Trump presidency.
Fittingly, the lyric video released with the single deals with gloomy visions of the near future or civil unrest and social division triggered by Trump. ‘The End’ is already a fan favourite as it has been an integral part of her concert setlists for years. With lyrics like ‘No certainty or surprise, the end / I'll never look you in the eye again’, it fits perfectly into these uncertain times.
Anja says that she sometimes hears a song and has the feeling that there is something in it that she would like to add. From then on, she no longer listens to the original version, sometimes not for years. She records the songs from memory. For example, she hasn't listened to the original by The Doors for over seven years, an old favourite song that is like a little time capsule for her.
The single is taken from the first Soap&Skin cover album 'TORSO', which will be released on November 22. It follows the latest release of ‘Girl Loves Me’, which was released in October along with a stunning video. Following her viral mega-success with ‘Me + the devil’ (230k TikTok Creations / 200 million streams), her music is currently listened to by over 5 million people every month.
Watch the lyric video for “The End”:
https://youtu.be/X9szFyXEao0
Listen on streaming services:
https://soapandskin.ffm.to/the_end
More on TORSO...
“I hear a song,” says Anja, “and feel there's something else I'd like to add. Then I don't listen to the original. Sometimes not for years. I record the songs from memory.” So she hasn't heard The Doors' "The End" for over seven years now. An old favorite song, a little time capsule. Similar to Shirley Bassey's "Born To Lose".
Other new interpretations are 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 among others. The strongest transformation, however, was certainly the digital bonus track, Plaschg's version of Lana Del Rey's "Gods & Monsters". If Lana Del Rey still wants “fame” and “liquor” and that “slowly” in 2012, Soap&Skin sings: “fame and liquor?”, “that is nothing holy.” And sunny lethargy turns into an experimental and mysterious electro soundscape. The twelve songs on "TORSO" were recorded in Vienna by an ensemble under Anja's direction. “For the first time,” she says, “it's actually more my style to assemble the music in a safe space, alone at home, from previously recorded samples.” Still, maybe what is created collaboratively must be recorded collaboratively too.
SOAP&SKIN Live:
10th January 2025 – Orpheum, Graz (AT)
11th January 2025 – Rockhouse, Salzburg (AT)
17th January 2025 – Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna (AT)
Tracklist
1. Mystery Of Love (Sufjan Stevens)
2. God Yu Tekkem Laef Blong Mi (Hans Zimmer)
3. Born To Lose (Shirley Bassey)
4. Gods & Monsters (Lana Del Rey) *
5. Maybe Not (Cat Power)
6. Voyage, Voyage (Desireless)
7. Johnsburg, Illinois (Tom Waits)
8. Girl Loves Me (David Bowie)
9. Stars (Janis Ian)
10. Pale Blue Eyes (The Velvet Underground)
11. What's Up? (4 Non Blondes)
12. The End (The Doors)
Album Preorder:
https://soapandskin.ffm.to/torso
