Imagine trying to weave a spiderweb with your voice, and you’re close to arriving at a Skullcrusher song. Singer/songwriter Helen Ballentine (aka Skullcrusher) has released a new single “It’s Like a Secret,” and it’s just as heartbreaking and heart-filling as you’d expect. Her voice is full, yet very delicate, and there is not much accompaniment besides dreamy, airy guitar. This is the third track released off her forthcoming debut album Quiet The Room, out Oct. 14 via Secretly Canadian, and as the title might suggest, it really does feel like Ballentine is imparting something vulnerable and close to her heart to you.
The album as a whole takes copious inspiration from Ballentine’s childhood, and the complexities found in the buildup to her parents’ divorce. She says of the single, “Writing this song was when I first felt connected to the album as a whole and really felt it taking shape. I had been trying to put into words a very familiar sensation that seemed completely intangible and inexpressible. It’s sort of a burrowing into myself, which I associate most with being very immersed in a creative project and simultaneously quite disconnected from other people.”
This take on loneliness is aptly expressed in the accompanying visuals, animated by Melanie Kleid. The most consistent figures present in the earth-toned video are a young woman curled into a ball, and a pair of eyes watching her, the stop-motion style accurate to the fragility of the song. “It’s like a secret / When did I learn to share it?” Ballentine asks herself in the song. As listeners, it’s a welcome secret to hear. “It feels very special to be able to convey these thoughts in some way,” shares Ballentine.
Watch the visuals for”It’s Like a Secret” below, and find the dates of Skullcrusher’s upcoming tour further down.
Skullcrusher Tour Dates:
October
17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
November
11 – Washington, DC @ DC9*
12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s*
13- Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
15 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
16 – Montréal, QC @ Bar Le ‘Ritz’ P.D.B.*
17 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison*
19 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*
20 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village*
30 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord*
December
2 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza*
3 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall*
(* with support from Babehoven)
