Lingua Ignota invites us down to hell on the stately “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE”, announces new album

Kristin Hayer aka Lingua Ignota has revealed the details of her new album: it’s called SINNER GET READY and arrives on August 6 through Sargent House. She was living in rural Pennsylvania during the album’s inception, and the area’s religion and dereliction forms the backdrop of the record.

This is evident in lead single “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE”, a song that places Hayter’s rich and resounding voice front and centre in an almost hymnal outpouring that begins “Me and the dog we die together / Within the lord I cast off all my earthly bonds / There is victory in Jesus.” While the track holds back the intense sonics that have characterised a lot of her past work, there is no avoiding the vigour in her voice and lyricism – delivered over quiet piano – as she observes the futility of existence, bringing it to a fine point with the question “do you want to be in hell with me?” Rising up in spectral whispers behind her are Seth Manchester’s percussion and a sticky mesh of instruments from Ryan Seaton – including a pennywhistle, wooden flute, woodwind mouthpieces, clarinets, saxophones, trumpet VST and harmonica, among other things. But they only serve to enthrone Hayter’s elegiac voice as she reaches the pyrrhic conclusion “I fear your voice / Above all others above all / I fear your name / Above all others above all.”

Hayter converts the stark sounds and imagery of the song into vivid imagery in the self directed video for “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE”, which you can watch below. Otherwise, find the song on streaming platforms.

Lingua Ignota’s new album SINNER GET READY is out on August 6 via Sargent House (pre-order/save). You can find Lingua Ignota on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.