Drawing upon dissonance and ceaseless repetition, Heathe summons mammoth and overpowering noise collages that reverberate with desperation, ecstasy, and aggression amidst the vast darkness. Today the band returns with puzzling, noisy new single “Black Milk Sour Soil“, which we’re honored to premiere right here on IDIOTEQ.
In the spring of 2019, the ensemble debuted with their full-length album “On The Tombstones; The Symbols Engraved,” an uncompromising, all-encompassing, and singular composition. This record was hailed by numerous international media outlets and marked a dynamic 2020 for Heathe until the pandemic wrought havoc. In response, the group has transformed their core from a single-person endeavor into a collective effort, forging new avenues for their music.
Be prepared for a heart-rending pandemonium of hand-played club music, ferocious polyrhythms, raucous noise rock, and euphoric gospel when Heathe subjects you to the ground, relenting only when you can no longer endure their sonic onslaught.
On their new single, Black Milk Sour Soil, Heathe showcase a new side to their bleak uncompromising take on heavy music.
Black Milk Sour Soil is a melting pot of industrial techno, chanting choirs, longing strings, pounding bass, and stabbing synths. Desperate screams predict the collapse of the modern world, in contrast, a massing choir repeats mantras of humanity’s oblivious ignorance of the coming of the end.
The single is the first release from Heathe since their 2019 debut, On The Tombstones; The Symbols Engraved. On the track Heathe displays a new sonic palette, taking inspiration from North African religious music, gospel, techno, spiritual jazz, and Middle-Eastern dance music and merging it with the noise and intensity that has made Heathe one of the more promising acts to emerge from the danish scene in years.
“Black Milk Sour Soil” was composed and arranged by the band. The song was written by Martin Jensen and Oskar Krusell Sørensen and was recorded by Simon Mariegaard, Martin Jensen, Oskar Krusell Sørensen, and Filip Dybjerg. The mix and mastering were done by Simon Mariegaard. The artwork was created by Emilia Jasmin. The single is being released via Gateway Music.
“Black Milk Sour Soil is a song that balances between hopelessness, desperation and despair, but also in a Way is a call for action and uprise.” – comments the band.
Comments vocalist Martin Jensen: “The intro of the song, a long and somewhat non-coherent story of fears I would have as a kid of living to see the sun burn out and everything turning to ice. I remember some of these thoughts as vivid nightmares. It feel surreal to be standig in the middle of a climate crisis now as an adult, experiencing what I feared the most as a kid.”
Martin writes his lyrics as a stream of consciousness without delving too deeply into analysis. However, after the introductory line, “when I woke up,” the narrative of his latest work shifts to the present day, with a focus on the crises that society is currently facing, both ecologically and socially. The lyrics explore the increasing prevalence of nationalistic tendencies, alt-right movements, hate crimes, and other divisive issues.
He continues: “The song originally sounded very different – I composed a demo and sent round the track to the other ones in the band (corona times, so each to their computer so to speak), and Oskar chopped it all up, giving it the unconventional form and structure it has now, making it the first track we ever did without any guitars. I love how it has a foot in hardcore and a foot in techno, borrowing a bunch from gospel and chamber music.”
“He also added the choir parts “We just stand in water up to our ankles, dancing, grieving” and “All we’ll ever need we’ll have soon”, adding a contrasting layer to the desperation of the screaming vocals, almost as a voice of the majority of people and their ignorance towards the crisis around us, but also adds a light, or a hope, at the end of the darkness, praying, or almost promising, a better tomorrow.” – concludes Martin.
Lyrics:
When I was a child The sun was warm and the nights peaceful
I would gaze upon the stars and wonder when the world would end
I was afraid I would live to see the sun burn out, To see my world covered in ice and my beloved freeze to death
I had nightmares that a grim purple sky would light up the night and thunders would roar in the distant
The land would dry and the crops would die and people of all religions would flee to their neighbors for shelter
And we would shiver as our borders collapsed
The fear of the unknown would lead us into a time of hatred and despair
For profit and safety, we would segregate the poor from the rich
We would build walls and make laws to enslave the free will
and the cries of those who had lost their beloved would resonate
in an eternal darkness not to be heard nor seen but ignored like a vague noise
When I woke up my hands were dirty and my face was covered in blood
The earth was burning and the children had an emptiness in their eyes
The birds were dead, the people had fled and I broke down and I cried
Black milk, sour soil
Acid moss, black oil
Melting ice, dry winds
Fearful minds, anxious cries
Lonesome letters, forgotten tales
Secret songs, forbidden prayers
Dead lands, worn-out earth
Lost cities buried in dirt
We just stand in water up to our ankles; dancing, grieving
Generations lost, books burned
Stories untold, people turned
Against their god, against their will
Towards their fate, forced to tears
The dawn of day, filled with fear
Tragic fates, the end is near
We feed on hate, we sleep on sorrow
We stand at the gates, no tomorrow
We just stand in water up to our ankles; dancing, grieving
Lonesome letters, forgotten tales
Secret songs, forbidden prayers
Dead lands, worn-out earth
Lost cities buried in dirt
Control your soul’s desire for freedom
Control your soul’s desire for freedom
Control your soul’s desire for freedom
Control your soul’s desire for freedom
All we’ll ever need we’ll have soon
Heathe comprises Andreas Westmark, Filip Dybjerg, Jonas Orlowitz, Martin Jensen, Oskar Krusell Sørensen, Simon Mariegaard, and Simon Westmark.
