Tan Cologne, the duo Lauren Green and Marissa Maciasfloating, have announced their new album Earth Visions Of Water Spaces for release on September 9th on Labrador Records and have shared a new single & accompanying video “Floating Gardens“.
“We would like listeners to feel they are submerged within or near the presence of water,” the duo says. “The entire album is about water: droplets of water, atmospheric exchanges of water, and the transformation of Earth by and through water. We were drawn to this through finding shells within the desert landscape. We also read a story in the newspaper about a 300-million-year-old shark fossil found in the mountains in New Mexico thirty miles southwest of Albuquerque. There’s a lot to consider in reflecting on where the Earth’s path has been, and where and what it may be, water of course being the vital experience for existence.”
Today’s new single, “Floating Gardens” is about shallow depth ecosystems of water and was inspired by the ancient Aztec gardens of Mexico City known as Xochimilco. They comment: “A shimmery glide on the surface of water recalling past civilizations, the song tells a story of a “skin of water” covering the Earth and transforming the landscape into grasslands. We focused on imperfections and inter-dimensional existence.”
Speaking on the accompanying video, they add: “We dreamed about making a video that followed a pathway of Creation, Connection, and Observation and centered it around the portal of surfing. We filmed these interactions in California through family, friends and lagoon bird life. The music video features Pat Lennon, an old school surfer, woodworker, musician, and surfboard shaper. We also followed good friend Fino Burgos in their playful connection to the element of water through surfing. We were inspired to relay these small vignettes (I, II, III) to communicate spiritual devotion to water.”
Listen to “Floating Gardens” and watch the video for it below:
Tan Cologne are an entirely self-contained unit, responsible for every sound on the record, sharing vocal, guitar, lap steel, synths and percussion duties, with Green adding drums, bass, autoharp, and melodica and Macias keyboards as well as bouzouki, not to mention the artwork’s photography. At all times, however, their proximity to nature and the ferocity of its elements made its own crucial contribution to the record’s development. “The summers in New Mexico have major monsoons and lightning storms,” they explain. “Most of the recording was done during moody and wild weather in days full of contrast, from lightning storms to dust devils to snow. The album was created to tell stories of water on Earth, with all of its songs being reflections of past, present, and future civilisations.”
“The present and future being of Earth’s water and lands are an ever-present concern and prayer cycle for us,” they conclude. “The fires in the western United States are becoming omnipresent, and everything feels different and, at times, bleak. We hope humanity can shift to care for and heal our Mother Earth together.”
Earth Visions Of Water Spaces artwork & tracklist:
1. Topaz Wave
2. Floating Gardens
3. Orbs
4. Space in the Palms
5. Pastels
6. Blue Swim
7. Shell Grotto
8. Winds Below Water
9. Heretic Porcelain
Tan Cologne live dates:
September 2 – Pescetrullo (Artist residency performance) – Ostuni, Italy
September 9 – Landet – Stockholm, Sweden
September 10 – (Day) at Delicious Goldfish Records – Stockholm, Sweden
September 10 – (Night) at Patricia (boat show) – Stockholm, Sweden