Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn's debut collaborative album Pigments comes out October 21 via Merge Records, and today the pair have shared the album's second movement: "Sienna," "Cerulean," "Opal," and "Saffron." The quartet of songs share a sprawling orchestral feel with the first movement of Pigments, with tension mounting in "Sienna" and releasing with an expressive vocal by Dawn in "Cerulean." Her voice is bolstered by assertive electronics and saxophone that blare and quickly fade into "Opal"-- a song where Zahn's production shines in its expansive use of space.
"Saffron" comes with a music video directed by Dawn which, like the video for Movement 1 closer "Vantablack," features dancers from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. The dancers stand in brightly-colored leotards, in stark contrast to the natural environment surrounding them--this interplay is part of the inspiration for Pigments, as Dawn explains:
What would your last dance be? In all my struggles and pain, beauty, ugliness, and everything in between, all I’ve ever known is to dance through it all. And if I had one hope in all the chaos of life, I’d ask God if he could save me one more dance before I go.
Listen to "Sienna," "Cerulean," and "Opal," and watch the video for "Saffron" below.
Dawn is also doing a week-long residency at Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch next month, the institute's first artist residency of that length. It runs from October 17-21, she and Spencer Zahn will premiere Pigments in full, in addition to several more events. See more details below, and RSVP here.
Dawn Richard Residency @ Clive Davis Institute
Mon. Oct. 17, 7pm @ Oswalds Mill Audio Listening Showroom (110 Bridge St., Brooklyn) World-premiere immersive listening session of Pigments. Moderated by Puja Patel, Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork.
Wed. Oct. 19, 7pm @ The Garage (370 Jay St., Brooklyn) “Dancing to Dawn” block party with DJ Lindsey
Thu. Oct. 20, 8pm @ The Clive Davis Institute (370 Jay St., Brooklyn) “Dawn 3.0,” an in-depth conversation, hosted by New York Times writer Marcus J. Moore
Fri. Oct. 21, 7pm @ The Garage (370 Jay St., Brooklyn) “Performing Pigments: A World-Premiere Live Concert Experience” featuring Richard, Zahn, and other musicians
