Darkwave industrial dance-pop duo Prospertine just released their debut single, “Home,” via Ghostcat Media International.
Jeremy Bastard
Made up of Arden Leigh (vocals) and Jeremy Bastard (guitar, production), the two met in NYC, where Arden danced in the same clubs Jeremy was DJing. Now the two reside far apart, one on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast.
Explaining “Home,” Arden shares, “I wrote the melody and lyric for Home to a track Jeremy invited me to collaborate on. For the lyrics, I was interested in exploring the darker aspects of awakening and emotional catharsis, aspects that often get bypassed in discussions of spirituality that focus on love + light to the exclusion of the full spectrum of human emotion. While overall it’s an incredible and deeply worthwhile pursuit, spiritual awakening is also at times terrifying, humbling, utterly destructive, and exhausting. I want to open up a space for more music or art that speaks to and validates that part of the process.”
She goes on to add, “At the same time, there is also a lot of darkwave music that tends to glorify emotions of sadness, despair, and self-destruction – often to the point of creating a looping, self-fulfilling story – and since I learned in my solo project Arden & the Wolves that my songwriting deeply affects my experience of reality, I wanted to make sure that I was writing dark music that was ultimately narratively healthy. By focusing on some of the darker or more harrowing aspects of pursuing emotional mastery, we can create music that is ultimately supportive of spiritual growth and also fully honest and transparent about (and empathetic toward) the parts of the journey that feel more like a horror soundtrack than a campfire sing-along. I believe this fills a heretofore unseen thematic intersection.”
Both artists are involved in other projects: Jeremy with Autodrone, Unto Ashes, and solo releases via Somewherecold Records; while Arden fronts the indie pop-rock outfit Arden & the Wolves, as well as working at The Re-Patterning Project, aiding others in their spiritual journey.
“Home” opens on a dark piano topped by Arden’s surging, bewitching voice, reminiscent of Annie Lennox in its tantalizing unique inflections and siren-like textures. Tinctures of Avant-dance-pop merge with a driving rhythm and darkwave surfaces to form a haunting, mesmerizing tune.
“Bitter brew do you dare to swallow / How long it takes you to arrive / On your hands and your knees to follow / In through the gateway still alive / All along I alone have been the one to take me home / All along I alone have been the one to take me home / Home.”
Prospertine has it going on! “Home” rolls out on throbbing coloration crowned by the amazingly intense voice of Arden Leigh – surely one of the best female vocalists extant.
