Ōtautahi/Christchurch-based artist Mousey has announced her new album My Friends, out on March 11th, and today shares an exquisite new single ‘My Hands Are Made of Glass.’ The song is the follow-up to lead single, ‘The Bench,’ which spent multiple weeks at the top of NZ’s Alternative Airplay Chart, and was Mousey's first offering of new music since her Silver-Scroll nominated debut album, Lemon Law.
‘My Hands Are Made of Glass' presents Mousey's faultless vocals atop a haunting arrangement of strings by Lyttelton-based violinist and composer Anita Clark. Christchurch lo-fi pop multi-instrumentalist Pickle Darling lends an eerie, punchy drum machine sound adding to the beautifully poetic yet wrenching admission of Mousey wanting to hide away from the world. “This song is me at my lowest,” reveals Mousey. “I love people so much but sometimes I hurt them and it makes me want to lock myself away so I can’t hurt anyone anymore. I wanted the strings to sound like fingers on a chalkboard, screeching up and down. The peak of the song feels like inner chaos incarnate. This song also has a drum machine, programmed by my friend Lukas (Pickle Darling). I’ve never used one in my music before but having it sit as a layer underneath the song helps make it more cold and disconnected.”
Listen to 'My Hands Are Made of Glass' HERE
Both ‘The Bench’ and ‘My Hands Are Made of Glass’ are taken from Mousey's forthcoming album My Friends, the anticipated follow-up to 2019's Silver Scroll nominated debut album Lemon Law. Produced by Ben Edwards at The Sitting Room (Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin, Nadia Reid), My Friends was written by Mousey in lockdown and navigates the emotional baggage of her life-long friendships, the highest highs and the lowest lows. “While my last album was about ‘being let down and being a let-down’, this album is about ‘being let down but being loved,“ says Mousey. “I initially hoped the new record was going to be really light, cute and wholesome. But even though there are many ‘sweet’ songs, my year was really hard and some of my long-time friends left me with some nasty scars - so obviously the record reflects that too."
Pre-save Mousey - My Friends: https://bfan.link/my-friends
Pre-order Mousey - My Friends: https://mouseynz.bandcamp.com/album/my-friends
Mousey is the project of Christchurch songwriter, Sarena Close. With a strong sense of melody and emotionally raw sincerity, Mousey cherishes the art of communicating the human experience above all else. She is inspired by local artists Aldous Harding, Tiny Ruins, and Anthonie Tonnon, as well as Big Thief, Lomelda, and Eels. And yet her sound defies the restrictions of genre and her music provides a unique and powerful insight into this wonderful and confusing world.
Her 2019 debut album Lemon Law marked a significant milestone for Mousey, and earned her a nomination at the 2019 APRA Silver Scrolls for breakout track, ‘Extreme Highs’. 2020 would also see her as a finalist for the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut prize at the Taite Music Prize Awards and performing at the Silver Scroll awards with a captivating live performance of L.A.B’s 'In the Air'.
As a live act, Mousey has played headline tours in New Zealand and Australia and opened for acclaimed artists such as The Beths, Reb Fountain, The Chills, and more. Her performances are characterised by her faultless vocals, her multi instrumental musicianship and raw emotional energy.
Mousey is celebrating her recent signing to Native Tongue Music Publishing.