Prima Queen is the duo of Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden, who live on opposite sides of the Atlantic. This divide has not stopped them from building a fanbase through their powerful indie tunes, and they will get bigger and better on debut album The Prize, arriving on 25 April through Submarine Cat Records (Swim Deep, FEET, Home Counties, Fraulein).
The duo have already earned a reputation through appearances at festivals like Glastonbury, SXSW and Pitchfork Paris and a festival is in fact where their new single “Ugly” kicks off.
They explain: “‘Ugly’ is about trying to maintain a festival romance in the real world. It was written after the ending of a situationship with an uneven power dynamic and after being let down repeatedly, coming to the painful acceptance that it will never be what you hoped for.”
The gnarled guitars of “Ugly” hint at the duo’s disgruntlement, which soon becomes clear as they detail this doomed relationship. It started at Glastonbury but was “done by Halloween” – but this wasn’t just a casual fling, at least not for them. Prima Queen feel chewed up and spit out by this one; like they’ve been used as an accessory. They were always in the front row of the other’s gigs, while the other never showed up to theirs. They had the potential for love, but they’ve been walked all over. This all comes out honestly in “Ugly”, which rollicks and rolls with tempestuous emotion and a massive hook, impactfully delivering the full range of their feelings.
Listen to “Ugly” below or on your preferred streamer.
Prima Queen’s debut album The Prize arrives on 25 April through Submarine Cat (pre-order/save).
You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
