Artist:Fair Maiden

Ellen Carey’s Fair Maiden has operated in various permutations for almost a decade. It’s a project of doo-wop chamber pop and freakish folk songs starring Carey’s idiosyncratic vocal prowess. ‘Coal,’ is the first single from Fair Maiden’s upcoming full-length Oleander, which was recorded in the re-purposed church that now houses Adelaide’s Holy Rollers Studio. The new record features multi-instrumentalists Steph Crase (Summer Flake, The Skids, Batrider) and Harriet Fraser-Barbour (Workhorse, Wireheads) with guitarist Hamish Baird. ‘Coal,’ is a shining example of Fair Maiden’s treacherous allure. The instrumentation is elegant and gentle, while buoying an accusatory sentiment. As slide guitar and featherweight percussion roll over in a languid manner, the call and response vocals are exhaled in exhaustion. Lead vocals and backing harmonies flex their range on each repetition, as the frustration in Carey’s voice peaks sharply before descending into the whirlpool of resignation with ...