Musical legends, Dave Gahan and Soulsavers have teamed up to record new material. The duo’s new track “Metal Heart” has now been released.
It was announced earlier within the month that the long-term musical partners had been working together. The Depeche Mode frontman and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member has released two prior studio albums with Soulwavers, otherwise known as Rich Machin. The duo’s new track sees the legendary artists’ release a reimagined version of the Cat Power single, released in 1998. Much like the original recording, the track begins with just vocals and guitar. The song then gradually ascends with a fuller orchestra and evolves into a stadium classic.
Gearing up for the release, initial previews of the project were made accessible as well as short clips of the adaptation and footage shot during the recording process.
Gaham has provided the following statement concerning the new single. “It’s probably my favourite at the moment. It was really such a great performance to record because it had this arc, starting as just this little thing which by the end grows into a monster, and to me that same arc also reflects the sentiment of the song.”
The original release of “Metal Heart” was recorded and released by Cat Power and was taken from the singer’s fourth studio album Moon Pix. The 49-year-old artist, born Chan Marshall, has been a staple of modern music since her 1995 debut release Dear Sir. The singer-songwriter got her start within the music industry in the 90s, where she played with various bands in Atlanta.
Gahan and Soulsavers’ release is the first song to be taken from their upcoming album Imposter. Set to be released on 12th November 2021 via Columbia Records, the album consists of a dozen re-workings of classic tracks from various iconic artists. Such revised recordings included within Imposter are “The Dark End Of The Street” by James Carr, Neil Young’s “A Man Needs A Maid”, “The Desperate Kingdom Of Love” by P.J Harvey and “Not Dark Yet” by folk hero, Bob Dylan.
The upcoming album marks the third studio album released by the musical pair. Their initial album, The Light the Dead See was released in 2012 and its follow up Angels & Ghosts was released in 2015. In November 2019 the duo embarked on their new project and began to record the album. The recording process took for Imposter was organised to ensure a deeper connection with the musical material. Gahan and Soulsavers recorded the album with a live band made up of ten musicians at Shangri-La recording studio located in Malibu, California.
Speaking with podcast host Chris Black, Gahan discussed the recording process and the ambience felt within the studio space. “This was the first time we were all in one space. It was kind of lucky [timing] as well… Arriving at Shangri-La every day, it was magical. We’d have coffee, go in, and work.”
The track-list spans through multiple genres and eras and has been presented much like a story rather than a covers album. The album is set to take the listener through a musical journey with stories spun by the tracks selected. Within the press release, the importance of the tracks are further confirmed, “All of the songs have deep meaning to Dave, making Imposter a reflection of Dave’s life – a story told by others, but in his own distinct voice.”
The album will be available in both digital and physical formats. The upcoming album can also be pre-ordered on digital platforms, Spotify and Apple Music.
Click here to listen to “Metal Heart“.
Click here to pre-order Imposter.
Photo Credit: Spencer Ostrander
