Acclaimed foremost whistler Molly Lewis shares ‘Crushed Velvet,’ a sultry and cinematic highlight from her upcoming debut LP On The Lips, out 16th February via Jagjaguwar.
Though the accompaniment of Molly’s band is precise and evocative, Molly’s singular talent takes center stage – her notes are as soaring as they are controlled, as seductive as they are mournful.
Over the past year, Molly soundtracked one of Barbie’s most emotional scenes alongside Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, lent her singular talents to fashion houses like Chanel, Gucci, and Hermes, and supported Weyes Blood on tour. Now, on her forthcoming debut full length album, the world builder par excellence conjures up visions of classic Hollywood jazz clubs, Italian cinema soundtracks and lingering embraces between lovers.
‘Crushed Velvet’ follows the album’s lead single ‘Lounge Lizard,’ which FADER described as “serene yet doleful” and earned global praise from the likes of BBC 6, Nylon, CLASH, Rolling Stone AUS and more. Watch Molly’s mind-bending apparitions straight out of a 1950s film here.
On the track, Molly Lewis says:
‘You’re playing a high stakes game of dice, it’s your last roll and a lot is on the line. You need all 3s to win. Sweat drips down your brow. Lady Luck grabs your arm at the last moment. The dice spin… and then…. this song comes on, distracting everyone just in time for you to grab the moolah and run.’
On The Lips was recorded with producer Thomas Brenneck (Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Amy Winehouse) at Diamond West Studios in Pasadena. With something of an open door policy during the sessions, a stream of acclaimed musicians joined Molly across the album’s 10 tracks, including Nick Hakim, Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian guitarist Rogê, Leland Whitty and Chester Hansen of Badbadnotgood, Chicano soul group Thee Sacred Souls on the melancholy ‘Crushed Velvet,’ experimental jazz pianist Marco Benevento and El Michels Affair’s Leon Michels.
The album features two covers: Dave Berry’s 1960s pop standard ‘The Crying Game’ and Jeanette’s ‘Porque Te Vas’ from 1974.LA-based, Australia-born Molly got her start first by winning the 2015 Masters of Musical Whistling competition then with a turn at an open mic at the Kibitz Room, a tiny late-night bar inside historic LA deli Canter’s before curating her Café Molly show series accompanied by friends and fans including John C. Reilly, Karen O, Mac DeMarco. Molly’s debut full length follows her pair of critically acclaimed recent EPs that earned profiles in New York Times, NPR Morning Edition and CBS Sunday Morning. Now, with On The Lips, Molly is set to join her heroes in the storied lore of the Los Angeles lounge scene and well beyond.
On The Lips Tracklist:
- On The Lips
- Lounge Lizard
- Crushed Velvet
- Slinky
- Moon Tan
- Silhouette
- Porque Te Vas
- Cocosette
- Sonny
- The Crying Game
Molly Lewis On The Web:
