On St Vincent’s new album All Born Screaming, Annie Clark sings “So, who am I trying to be?” It’s a question critics and fans have been asking of her across all of her albums and live shows.
Since the mid-2000s the St Vincent project has been a vehicle for Clark to explore various alter-egos, performance art experimentation and genre flips, resulting in many acclaimed records, tours and collaborations, pushing the boundaries of pop music and virtuoso guitar playing.
This new album, though, feels like less of a restless art experiment. ‘Most personal album’ is a tired cliche, but All Born Screaming isn’t this time written from the perspective of characters, but rather Clark herself, delving into death, grief and failed relationships.
The music is a thrill too — harsh, distorted guitars, electro-funk and industrial beats, with a hint of 90s New Jack Swing Prince, PJ Harvey and Nine Inch Nails.
St Vincent plays the 3Olympia in Dublin on October 13
Moo Kid 