by Anna Solomon (@chateau.fiasco)
Jayne Dent’s experimental folk project Me Lost Me has been blending traditional instrumentation with brooding electronic drones and playful art pop since the mid 2010s. On the Newcastle Upon Tyne artist’s forthcoming third full-length RPG, due out July 7th via Upset the Rhythm Records, she aims to pay tribute to the art of world-building and storytelling, drawing a throughline from folk songs and folktales to ambient electronica and video games.
“Heat!,” RPG’s third single, opens with a foreboding bass line, punctuated by recordings of chirping birds and flute trills. It’s uneasy in its slow pace, until a minute in when pounding percussion re-contextualizes the spacious vocal melody and bass into a powerful upbeat groove. Even with the colorful instrumental, Dent’s expressive vocals are always the focal point, winding between power and frailty. The track continues to shift and surprise throughout its runtime, adding new textures which culminate in a chanting choral finish.
About the song, Dent says:
“‘Heat!’ is a song about the cognitive dissonance that happens when you're out enjoying a gorgeous day, it's hot and everyone is out enjoying themselves in the sun - but there's this underlying feeling of unease: ‘it shouldn't be this hot in March’ or ‘it's another record-breaking heatwave this year.’ Almost all of the lyrics are quite joyful, but I wanted the arrangement to have this really sinister feeling underneath, like a horror film set in broad daylight.”