The debut album of the psych/dream/indie folk-rock singer-songwriter Misha Chylkova is a captivating and passionate journey through the stages of love.
Friday, November 15th, 2024 marks the release of Dancing the Same Dance, the debut album by Czech-born psych/dream/indie folk-rock singer-songwriter Misha Chylkova, who was musically shaped in London. The album, preceded in the following weeks by the singles Sparrows and The Loop, is being released on vinyl, CD and digital formats by the label Gare Du Nord Records.
Dancing the Same Dance
is a collection of deeply personal songs that Misha Chylkova has written over the past few years, revealing her fascination with repetition. The album was mainly recorded in London with the support of outstanding musicians such as Darren Hayman (Hefner) and Ian Button (Death in Vegas, Thrashing Doves) primarily as the rhythm section, as well as Jonathan Clayton (Hurtling, Jim Bob) who mixed, mastered and co-produced the album. The work is driven by a passion for melody and for pulsating, looping rhythms, with influences ranging from Low, Angel Olsen, Black Heart Procession, to Suicide.
On a lyrical level,
the full-length album can be seen as a loop in itself. It’s a journey through the stages of love: from infatuation and heightened senses to the ensuing obsession, creeping doubts, gradual loss of trust, destructive thoughts, betrayal, the end of the relationship, denial, and often, a new beginning. The singer-songwriter’s deep interest in analysing these repeating patterns within the intimate nature of human behaviour has allowed her to weave autobiographical nuances into the lyrics while also exploring conceptual abstraction.
As Misha Chylkova says, “It’s a story that unfolds with a beginning, a middle, and an end. But is the end really the end?”
Misha Chylkova
is a Londoner of Czech origin. Always drawn to darkness and repetition, her artistic perspective offers a highly personal view of reality and romantic relationships. In her music, elegance meets simplicity, as she gradually layers melodic threads into a crescendo of complexity. This melodic minimalism, enriched with a touch of sharp humour, was forged in London, where Misha fell in love with music and began playing within the anti-folk scene alongside artists such as The Awkward Silences, David Cronenberg’s Wife, and Extradition Order. In 2020, she started a fruitful collaboration with Darren Hayman (Hefner), Ian Button (Death in Vegas, Thrashing Doves), and Jonathan Clayton (Hurtling, Jim Bob), which led her to release several singles between 2021 and 2022 with the independent label Gare Du Nord Records. The same artistic partnership is the foundation of her debut album, Dancing the Same Dance (Gare Du Nord), set for release in November 2024.
TRACKLIST
Side A Coffee | Love. Or. | Will You? | The Loop | Sparrows
Side B I Will | Doing It All Wrong | Dead Plants | (Don’t) Stay | Dancing the Same Dance
CREDITS
All songs written and composed by Misha Chylkova
Recorded by Jonathan Clayton in One Cat Studios, London, except:
– synths, field recordings and percussion for Love. Or. & Dancing the Same Dance recorded by Misha Chylkova in Navigli, Milan;
– guitars and drums for Love. Or. recorded by Valerio Mina in Blackstar Recording Studio, Milan.
Mixed by Jonathan Clayton in One Cat Studios, London except The Loop, mixed by James Aparicio in London.
Mastered by Jonathan Clayton in One Cat Studios, London.
Produced by Jonathan Clayton & Misha Chylkova.
Photos by Eugenio Intini
Video by Frank Monopoli
Misha Chylkova – vocals, guitar, synths, autoharp, harmonium, e-bow, steel drum
Darren Hayman – bass, piano, guitar & accordion;
Ian Button – drums
Jonathan Clayton – Philicorda organ
Niccolò Avanzi – guitars on Love. Or.
Gabriele Arnolfo – drums on Love. Or.
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