Today, preeminent whistler Molly Lewis shares the second single “Cabana de Mel” off her upcoming sophomore EP, Mirage, out digitally September 16 via Jagjaguwar. The project follows Lewis’ 2021 debut EP, The Forgotten Edge, which earned widespread critical acclaim including profiles with New York Times, NPR and CBS Sunday Morning.
The campy, aquatic video for “Cabana de Mel” was shot on super 16 and directed by Kristofski. A Bond-themed underwater adventure, complete with nautical scuba scenes, a villain played by Sean Nicholas Savage and a ticking time bomb.
Of “Cabana de Mel”, Molly says “In the small town in Australia where I’m from, there are handmade signs every now and then along the tropical roadsides that say, “Honey Hut”. This is where you can leave some money in a can and pick up a jar of fresh honey from local farmers. I always liked the thought of these little honey hunts. Rogê started playing Bossa Nova guitar one day and I asked him if he could make it like a mysterious Bond theme. I was listening to this guitar one night while back home in my small town, eating fresh honey, when this melody came floating over to me. “Cabana de Mel” is “Honey Hut” in Portuguese, a mixture of me and Rogê and our worlds coming together.”
Watch the seafaring “Cabana de Mel” video HERE
On Mirage LA-based, Australia-bred Lewis teams up again with producer Thomas Brenneck (Charles Bradley, Amy Winehouse) and brings Brazilian guitar virtuoso Rogê (Seu Jorge) into the fold. The six capacious and atmospheric songs center Lewis’ unmistakable, cinematic whistle–akin to a mixture of a theremin and the voice of the great Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac—and reach beyond Lewis’s signature Spaghetti Western-meets-neo-lounge pastiche. Brenneck’s soul and Rogê’s pure Brazilian style contribute to form Lewis’s most concentrated effort to date, both sonically and conceptually. Like Eden’s Island (1970) by eden ahbez—whose “Nature Boy” is covered in one of Mirage’s standout moments—Lewis’s EP is based on her visions of an imaginary island floating somewhere between the shores of LA, Brazil, and Australia.
Since 2015, when Lewis won the Masters of Musical Whistling, she has become an in-demand collaborator, tapped by La Femme, Sébastien Tellier, Dr. Dre, and more. She’s performed around the globe, at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, for an opening night ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside cumbia outfit Sonido Gallo Negro at Mexico City’s historic Salón Los Angeles, and on tour across the entirety of New Zealand with Neil Finn of Crowded House. In Lewis’ homebase of LA, her own Café Molly has become a celebrated event that showcases her diverse inspirations, and features appearances from friends and fans including John C. Reilly, Karen O and Mac DeMarco.
Mirage is out September 16 digitally and via vinyl and CD on October 28. Pre-order is available here: https://mollylewis.ffm.to/mirage
