Gabi Garbutt: Radical Love
(INH Records)
DL / Streaming
Out Now
Gabi Garbutt returns with single Radical Love, the first for INH Records ahead of their eagerly anticipated third album
With Radical Love the acclaimed singer-songwriter begins a new phase of their career. A striking, reflective piece of artistry in songwriting, The track is a touching, lyrically exquisite contemplation on the transformative nature of love. It represents a new direction with new collaborations for Garbutt as they embrace the future, it is a bold statement of confidence delivered with raw emotion and honesty. A clarion call from an artist at their peak of their powers, the song follows up on the critical and commercial success of Garbutt’s previous two albums.
Gabi is an androgynous queer artist creating lyrical alternative pop with a punk spirit. Their poetic lyrics are imbued with a magical realism; they are sensual, raw and visually expansive, reflecting her love of the poetry of Audre Lorde, Federico Garcia Lorca and Andrea Gibson, and the surrealist art of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington and Joan Miro. Gabi self-released their debut album The Discredited Language of Angels in 2019 leading to significant national radio support, including a live session for Cerys Matthews. In 2022, they signed to Trapped Animal Records for the release of their second album Cockerel, which was followed by appearances on Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable and a performance on John Kennedy’s Radio X-Posure. The Creation of Birds E.P on Daemon T.V was released in April 2023, receiving more airplay, the lead single Panic, a collaboration with Du Blonde, was added to several playlists.
Speaking of Radical Love, the artist explains, “I started writing this song when I was learning about Sara Ahmed’s notion of ‘Queer Phenomenology’ and reading essays by some of my favourite poets such as Audre Lorde, Federico Garcia Lorca, Rebecca Tamas, that got me thinking about states of mind, states of being, charged with mystery and infinite possibility, where oppressive structures fall and create a space that can harbour all expressions of love and of gender and of shifting form. The electrified moment that cultivates new connections, new perceptions, a place of freedom that brings us closer together and closer to the natural world,” continuing,
“I’ve been hugely energised by reading the work of Martin Luther King, and his belief in the transformative power of love, and this song draws all these themes together, to explore how a radical love is urgently needed to face a world falling apart with humanitarian crisis and climate crisis.
The single is musically more collaborative than other songs, with Garbutt’s home demo being interpreted live in the recording process by the musicians involved; Jemma Freeman, Matt Arthur, Chris Brambley, Max Revell. As well as filming and edited the video for Radical Love Jemma Freeman also added some sparkle with the Arturia MicroFreak, a very distinct experimental synth for the adventurous along with magical harmony vocals, which Garbutt describes as, “Sonic manifestations of a radical love, like light hitting water moving.”
The single launch show will be at The Betsy Trotswood on 12th March. Tickets available here
Gabi can be found via her LinkTree
Photo Supplied by INH Records
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree
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