Though Faris Badwan is best known for fronting UK goth-punk unit the Horrors, he has also been releasing music as Cat's Eyes in recent years — a two-piece collaborative project with Canadian-born, London, UK-based soprano and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. The duo recently followed up their 2011 self-titled debut with some film work, providing the soundtrack to The Duke of Burgundy, but it looks as if fans can expect some more new material in the near future.
In a recent interview with soon-to-be-free weekly UK mag NME, Badwan confirmed that Cat's Eyes are working on a new, "very different" record.
It was recorded in the same Camden studio space, though, where the pair keep an array of eccentric antique instruments. "We used so many instruments on the first one that it wouldn't be possible to completely move," he explained.
Sonically, however, they've moved forward. Badwan told the magazine that he and Zeffira had exhausted the lullaby-esque sound they established on their debut after completing the soundtrack to Peter Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy. That album was "the final straw" for Zeffira, who won't be "singing softly" on the forthcoming record.
"It hasn't turned into some weird opera thing," Badwan assured the NME. "But we definitely found a good place for [her classically-trained voice]."
Badwan even played a snippet of a new song for NME writer (and Exclaim! contributor) Jazz Monroe, who described it as "epic, piano-based choral music, faintly resembling the Beatles' 'Hey Jude' being sung by castrato choirboys who've just been told Jesus is in attendance."
It might be a while before the rest of us get to hear what that actually sounds like for ourselves, but stay tuned for details of the upcoming album. For now, relive the pair's soundtrack work in the player below.
In a recent interview with soon-to-be-free weekly UK mag NME, Badwan confirmed that Cat's Eyes are working on a new, "very different" record.
It was recorded in the same Camden studio space, though, where the pair keep an array of eccentric antique instruments. "We used so many instruments on the first one that it wouldn't be possible to completely move," he explained.
Sonically, however, they've moved forward. Badwan told the magazine that he and Zeffira had exhausted the lullaby-esque sound they established on their debut after completing the soundtrack to Peter Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy. That album was "the final straw" for Zeffira, who won't be "singing softly" on the forthcoming record.
"It hasn't turned into some weird opera thing," Badwan assured the NME. "But we definitely found a good place for [her classically-trained voice]."
Badwan even played a snippet of a new song for NME writer (and Exclaim! contributor) Jazz Monroe, who described it as "epic, piano-based choral music, faintly resembling the Beatles' 'Hey Jude' being sung by castrato choirboys who've just been told Jesus is in attendance."
It might be a while before the rest of us get to hear what that actually sounds like for ourselves, but stay tuned for details of the upcoming album. For now, relive the pair's soundtrack work in the player below.
