A few months after Peel Dream Magazine released last year's lovely Rose Main Reading Room, they shared a deluxe version of their 2018 debut Modern Meta Physic. But they're not quite finished with the world surrounding their 2024 project. Today, they've announced their new mini album Taurus, which is a collection of songs initially recorded for Rose Main Reading Room.
In the case of the lead single "Venus In Nadir," which is out today, songwriter Joseph Stevens shared that he came back to the song after last year's album was released. He explained that he "reworked the lyrics and some of the overdubs, and ended up with this really simple twee song about a forlorn recluse who is withering away from an requited love."
He continued: "I imagined him confined to a log cabin, withdrawing from the civilized world, maybe because the guitar voicings felt very Nick Drake-y. 'Venus In Nadir' is what came out and it seemed right. I was already kicking around this astrology motif, which is mysterious to me because I'm highly skeptical of it. But that's what's cool about writing songs - you can take these mental images off the shelf, make a mess of them, and you don't have to worry about putting them back when you're done."
"Venus In Nadir" is the ideal fall-breeze soundtrack. Energetic acoustic strums harness the crisp bite that announces a new autumn, while Stevens' soft, feeble vocals signal the inevitable mood shift that comes with cooler weather. "Long November/ It molds your mind/ And come December/ It’s a full decline," goes the first verse. But the later lyrics reveal that the narrator is dealing with a romantic plight in tandem with the changing seasons. "Arms are tender/ They loosen in time/ And I surrender/ If you won’t be mine." It's beautiful melancholic folk that falls somewhere amongst Belle and Sebastian and Vashti Bunyan.
Listen to "Venus In Nadir" below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Venus In Nadir"
02 "Taurus"
03 "The Band From Northampton"
04 "Letters"
05 "Seek And Destroy"
06 "Down From The Trees"
07 "Believer"
08 "Take It (Demo)"
Taurus is out 10/1 via Topshelf Records. Pre-order here.
