TRZTN shares Lynchian “Hieroglyphs” (ft. Karen O) from new album Royal Dagger Ballet out Friday ft. Paul Banks, Jonathan Bree, Dani Miller & More.
Ahead of TRZTN (Tristan Bechet)’s new album Royal Dagger Ballet out this Friday, the Paris-based musician, composer & producer just shared his latest hypnotizing single and video for “Hieroglyphs” featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O.
An experimental pop wonder that sounds like it’s collapsing and re-forming simultaneously, Bechet explains:
“‘Hieroglyphs’ resembles an odd Lynchian dreamstate; bizarre and beautiful. A sonic portrait that warbles away into space dust.”
The song follows a string of singles including moody electro banger “Black Exit” (ft. Interpol’s Paul Banks), “Ruby’s Wheel” (ft. YESH) and cinematic “Metal Sky” (ft. Eiko Hara).
Bechet and Karen O are frequent collaborators, having worked together on music for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are film, Rise of The Tomb Raider video game and more.
The writing process behind “Hieroglyphs” began after Bechet sent her an initial sonic sketch, to which she quickly recorded her celestial lyrics.
“Without holding back, I embarked on a phantasmagorical way of production - sculpting sound more than composing conventionally.
I recorded clangs and digital white noise. I re-shaped her voice, deformed the structure, and resampled her own vocals creating the main staccato vocal theme.
The track disintegrates and falls back together like the push and pull of a rubber band stretching,”
Bechet says. Royal Dagger Ballet evokes the sounds of Arca and Trent Reznor dropped into the Blade Runner universe. With additional featured artists Jonathan Bree, Surfbort’s Dani Miller, Ize Teixeira, and Estrael Boiso, the result is an edgy, opulent and mesmerizing compilation of genre-defying industrial experimentalism.
Engaging in modern electronics, synthesizers and drum machines, each track is its different world, some cinematic and melodic and others rhythmically chaotic, industrial and cacophonous. Born in Portugal but raised between Brazil and New York City and now living in Paris, Tristan’s idiosyncratic approach to music uses a collision of electronic sound design — a process honed by fronting industrial no-wave band Flux Information Sciences (on Michael Gira of Swans' Young God Records), electronic rock duo SERVICES and Sauna Kings.
Bechet has also composed for brands like Nike, Karl Lagerfeld, Dior, Chanel, Givenchy and The Creator’s Project, having his works featured by The New York Times, Nowness and beyond. He is currently composing for a psychological drama horror film in the works.
