Having recently announced that her debut album ‘Going to Hell’ will be released 22 Jan 2021 via Get Better Records, Lande Hekt has revealed another track from the record. ‘80 Days of Rain’“is about moving away and missing someone, and how that person taught me to get angry about climate change,” she says. “80 days of rain is weirdly a reference to that tv programme ‘Years and Years’, where climate change was so out of control that the UK had 80 days of rain in a row. I realised that the effects of climate change will hurt animals and wildlife first and how sad that is.” Lande’s no stranger to exploring the trauma of climate change in her solo material. Her song ‘The Future’, which appeared on debut EP ‘Gigantic Disappointment’ her first song about climate change and its devastating effects.
‘Whiskey’ was the first track to be released from the personal and intimate journey that is ‘Going to Hell’ – it’s a song about Lande’s experience learning how to come to terms with being gay, realising that pretending you’re not gay can’t go on forever. Its poignant and heart-warming music video is a beautiful accompaniment, shot by Lande’s long-term collaborator Martyna Wisniewska (@gingerdope) and depicting Lande’s love with her girlfriend Lucy. ‘Whiskey’ has enjoyed support from the likes of Pitchfork (where it was featured in their ‘Selects’ playlist), The Fader, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Jezebel, Upset, For The Rabbits, Get In Her Ears and BBC Introducing.
Coming out is the prevailing topic of the record with the title track itself being “about how homophobia and heteronormative culture can make you feel isolated and scared of being yourself,” as Hekt herself explains her thoughts and feelings surrounding her sexuality, continuing: “I internalised a lot of that culture for a long time and it wasn’t until I found myself surrounded by queer and trans people and friends, that I realised I could live happily in a way that felt right. I know I’m not alone in feeling like this and it was other people sharing their experiences with me that helped me out, so I named the album after this song to try and reach people who might want to be reached. It’s also not a dig on all Catholics; it’s just an expression of scepticism from a gay person regarding conservatism.”
‘Going to Hell’ sounds like the sum of Hekt’s wide-ranging influences – The Replacements, The Raincoats, Sharon Van Etten, The Slits, Patti Smith, Sacred Paws, Le Tigre, Against Me! – multiplied by her own distinct voice.