"Lost in a forest, the forests on fire / The flora’s hot embers / Suffocate over time / My body’s not mine / Lost in forest, teeth between my ribs / Licking an open wound / Public access womb / My body’s not mine..."
Even if you did not speak or understand the English language, "Eaten by Wolves" by Portland's Darkswoon would move you. The potent driving beat (smashed and wonderfully distorted), the clean and dirty textures of synths, the dominant bass with subtle slippery shapes and Jana Cushman's vocal countenance, bruised and boldy passionate will put you in a dark headspace, ready to do combat. The blend of post punk artistry and heavy Goth pop adornments feel emotionally pushed and stirred with layers of industrial punk, post hardcore and shoegaze.
I am talking just sonics here but if you do understand "Eaten by Wolves" lyrics and the depth of the poetic cuts, the song has an added gravitas made even more substantial by the dark days we live in right now. The words will grab you by the throat. Passages like, [Lost in forest, teeth between my ribs / Licking an open wound / Public access womb / My body’s not mine...] will cause your heart pain, unless you are a Christian Nationalist. As I listen I can imagine the "Wolves" being those of the far right who want to control women (and others) at all costs based on their zealous desire manipulate others in their image.
Darkswoon shares:
'Eaten By Wolves', is a metaphor. Written during a time when a certain Supreme Court judge was being confirmed, the song is a meditation on how the bodies of people who are not cis men are politicized and controlled. It is a poetic rendering of emotions brought on by foreseeing the unraveling of human rights, more relevant than ever in the current timeline.
I imagine that the seeds of this song were planted around the time that Ketanji Brown Jackson had been grilled by those "wolves" (and survived) but six days before she was sworn in the Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade effectively ending Federal protection, the constitutional right to have an abortion.
"Eaten by Wolves" feels so essential. It paints the pain of women whose very self determination is being whittled away at a fast clip. Listen to it and get angry. America is not, was never intended to be a Theocracy. We can collectively beat back the wolves. In the recent victory against fascism, Kansas voters defeated an anti-abortion amendment in a totally unexpected landslide. Political pundits studying this stunning victory say that demographically a large percentage of Republicans had to have voted to cause this landslide. So there is hope. Two people to celebrate in this victory are Sisters Angela Fitzpatrick and Michele Morek, members of the Ursuline Sisters order. They publically urged other Catholics to join them in voting for justice. The nuns argued that the measure, if approved, would have negative repercussions for women and allow politicians to “impose religious beliefs on all Kansans” by passing restrictive abortion bans. One of their signs read, "Jesus trusts women, we do too".
I wish the good sisters could hear "Eaten by Wolves", I think it would move them, enforce their great intentions.
"Eaten by Wolves" is the first single from Darkswoon's upcoming LP, "Bloom Decay", which will be released 9/14/2022 on Icy Cold Records.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/darkswoon.pdx
https://darkswoon.bandcamp.com/track/eaten-by-wolves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mHEQux2Zs
https://open.spotify.com/track/2aeIfQrsgCRlwzRapFtzSi
https://soundcloud.com/darkswoon/ruin-2020-version
"...fierce electronic prowess and shoegaze-inspired guitar textures. As such, the band channels both the detached chill of early Fever Ray and Eurythmics as well as the churning menace of Modern English...both incredibly powerful and irresistibly catchy at once." -- Frank Deserto, Post-Punk.com
** At this particular time we find ourselves in a financial pinch due to many factors. We want to keep AP going. It has been a passion project for over 13 years. PLEASE consider donating, we could really use the support. Thanks so much
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Darkswoon, post punk, alt rock, shoegaze, Gothic rock, indie rock, darkwave, politico, "Eaten by Wolves", new album, "Bloom Decay",
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