Beloved indie pop duo Cults have announced their fourth album, Host. The record is due out later this summer on September 18th via Sinderlyn.
According to a press statement, the follow-up to 2017’s Offering is said to be about the sinister dynamics of a parasitic relationship, and the catharsis that comes with achieving freedom and self-reliance. For multi-instrumentalist/singer Madeline Follin, in many ways the new album represents a form of liberation, as it’s her first to serve as primary songwriter.
“In the past, I’d never brought my own music to the table because I was just too shy,” Follin explains. This time around, Follin did pitch her material, and once her bandmate Brian Oblivion and their producer Shane Stoneback heard what she had written, they were “floored”. Cults’ entire sound was then re-imagined for the first time in their 10-year career.
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Studio wizard John Congleton (Angel Olsen, Future Islands) was brought in to mix, while Heba Kadry (Björk, Slowdive) handled mastering. Additional drum arrangements were provided by Loren Shane Humphrey (Florence and the Machine, Guards).
Host was initially teased with last month’s “Spit You Out”, which premiered on Consequence of Sound. A second single, “Trials”, is out today and features dream-poppy vocal layering and enveloping synths that recall the majestic, yet slightly spooky ambiance of Beach House’s 7.
As Follin takes on a larger role for this new album, it’s only fitting that she takes centerstage in the music video for “Trials”. In the Fantasia-like clip, she sings in front of full moons and dances atop some sort of life-size candelabra. The subtle Disney evocations aren’t mere coincidence: according to video director Jeff Strikers, the technique he used to project Follin’s image is also used on the Disneyland ride the Haunted Mansion.
Check it out below. Pre-orders for Host are available now.
Host Artwork:
Host Tracklist:
01. Trials
02. 8th Avenue
03. Spit You Out
04. A Low
05. No Risk
06. Working It Over
07. A Purgatory
08. Like I Do
09. Masquerading
10. Honest Love
11. Shoulders To My Feet
12. Monolithic
