Israel’s Tamar Aphek is releasing her debut solo album All Bets Are Off at the end of this month, and following on from the singles “Show Me Your Pretty Side” and “Drive” she’s offering one final glimpse before we get to hear the whole thing. “Russian Winter” is the new single, and is set to be the opening track from the record – and it makes quite an introduction.
Whereas the previous singles have been smooth and alluring, “Russian Winter” is all jagged-edged guitars, noodling bass and splashy drums. In this misshapen rocker, Aphek remains cool and in command, her voice relaying an aloofness despite the myriad problems she observes all around. She makes a captivating presence amid the sonic mayhem, guiding us insouciantly through the battling sounds and textures, which build to a catastrophic crescendo where a wonky organ solo adds a cherry on top of this unpredictable psych soufflé.
Of the equally chaotic video, filmed in front of a green screen, she says:
“‘Russian Winter’ is my first concept music video. It was developed in a few stages: first a visual translation of my personal feelings in light of the collapse of the frameworks and creative endeavors in which I was involved with before the corona virus, hours of brainstorming with the director Amir Buxbaum on how to transform the ideas into a music video, and finally diving with the animator in a symbolic ocean of images…. We are facing huge changes in our old familiar world – I wanted to include images like the cycle of the four seasons hoping by sticking to the common-place it will help us move forward into the unknown world.”
Watch the video below or listen to “Russian Winter” on streaming platforms.
Tamar Aphek’s All Bets Are Off comes out on January 29 through Kill Rock Stars. You can find her on Bandcamp, Facebook and Instagram.
